The Echolls Case
by dooski
Summary: future fic: FBI agent Veronica Mars gets assigned a case involving the very last person she ever wanted to see again. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Back to the Future

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters from Veronica Mars; Credit goes to Rob Thomas  
**Rating: **K+ (for now at least!)  
**Genre: **Mystery, Drama, Romance... your usual Veronica Mars storyline!  
**Pairing:** that's one of the mysteries! (but really, you'll find out when you are supposed to, promise D)

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**Chapter 1: Back to the Future**

"You're not serious!" Her bright, blue-gray eyes roamed the faces filling the room, desperately searching for the sign of a joke, a hidden camera, anything to tell her this wasn't really happening and bring her back to reality as she knew it.

When her stares were unanswered, she broke the silence to give them one last chance to admit their failed attempt at humor for the day. "You're _joking_, right? This is some, belated initiation practice. Where you tell the newbie to show up on the 9th in her prom dress just in time for the sprinklers to go off."

"I wouldn't mind seeing you soaking wet in your prom dress," a handsome, clean-cut young man mumbled just loud enough for the group to hear. He held onto his crisp suit and appeared to be pleased with himself at the snickered response to his attempt at humor.

Veronica had barely rolled her eyes when the director reminded everyone that this was a serious meeting and not the time for such comments with a swift and not-so-subtle clearing of his throat. "Ahem! Travis, Mars, that'll do." After a pause, he continued, "This is not a joke, Mars, this is an assignment. And the sooner you stop whining like a high school cheerleader the sooner we can get to work."

Veronica couldn't help taking offense at his depiction of her reaction. "With all due respect, sir," (she could have sworn she heard him mutter 'of course' as she said it), "I'm not _whining_. I'm merely questioning the validity of this… _assignment_. How much thought have you given this? Because I can already think of a million reasons why this will _never _work."

The director frowned but his disapproving stare wasn't as hard as it should have been. He knew he had a soft spot for her snark, and thankfully, the rest of his staff had come to appreciate the 'Mars way' of handling situations. Otherwise, he might lose credibility for letting a subordinate speak to him in such a manner. But Ms. Mars had certainly earned her respect. She had set records during the last case she'd worked on and no matter how surprised the group had been that such a tiny blonde could pack such tenacity, they had to give credit where it was due.

"Do you find the plan to be unsafe?" the director asked blankly.

Veronica looked confused by the question but answered accordingly. "Well – no, of course not."

"All right, then!" the director looked pleased. "That settles it, Mars."

Veronica's eyes widened, still flashing a stubborn light. "How exactly does that settle it?"

"You're in no danger. You're capable. That's good enough for me. Or do you require a break after the last case you handled? Maybe it was too much for you after all…" He tried to contain his smile in baiting her. He knew if there were any surefire way to trap her into acceptance, it would be questioning her capabilities. She had an insatiable need to constantly present herself as an independent woman.

"No!" Veronica immediately insisted, as predicted.

"Good! Now that's out of the way, Parker! You and Darius still haven't reported about the Sandovalcase. It was due yesterday. This is a critical file. Speaking of which, where the hell is Darius? If he wasn't working overtime I'd consider his absence to be his resignation…"

Veronica was forced into silence in order to let the meeting go on as usual. She sat uncomfortably, arms folded and attempting to pay some sort of attention despite the prospect that lay ahead. She couldn't help drowning out the dailies in her wandering thoughts.

_He calls that a case?! This is the thanks I get after bagging the Berry case? I practically gift-wrapped the dirt bag, complete with a pretty pink bow to top it off! And he's handing me this?!_ Veronica was finding difficulty in masking her utter disappointment and disbelief. _He's kidding himself if he thinks I'm gonna walk out of here and get right to work. There's _no _way I am doing that case, and I'll stay here as long as I have to for the message to sink in._

* * *

The director wasn't surprised to see a tiny blonde linger as the last of the staff departed to get back to work. He also wasn't surprised to see the radiant smile she wore as she approached his desk again. Clearly, she thought that being one-on-one and pleasant would bring a different result.

But she was sadly mistaken, and as much as he could use the good laugh, the director was too busy to listen to her arguing. He cut her off before she'd even started.

"Mr. Clar-"

"Veronica," he said with a sigh. "I have piles of paperwork to sort through and I'd rather skip the debate with you today. There is no way you can get out of this assignment."

Veronica wasn't going to give up so easily. "But sir, if you'd only listen-"

"No," he stated calmly, but firmly.

"It's impossible!" Veronica continued despite his request. "You say I'm capable, but I'm not."

The director opened his mouth to reply but before he could, Veronica went on. "And it's _not _me," she insisted. "The subject of this case…" She hesitated before continuing. "I'll be made upon arrival. The case is meant to be undercover and it's as simple as that- _I _can't be undercover. He'll see through any disguise."

"Did you even read the file?" the director asked.

Veronica frowned as she suddenly found herself unprepared to continue with her plan. "What do you mean? Of course I read the file. How else would I know this is undercover-"

"Then you'll have noticed further in the description where it states that you _aren't _to assume a new identity."

_Now he's just pissing me off. Insulting my intelligence __as well?_ "Yeah, I saw that I'll be popping up out of the blue as good old Veronica Mars." Once she calmed herselfenough to let go of the sarcasm, she continued seriously. "He'll know I'm FBI," she stated.

It was then that the director realized that she truly thought this was something he hadn't considered. It was times like these when he caught a brief glimpse of her usually guarded innocence. It was easy to forget with her fearless attitude and growing accomplishments. But she was, after all, still very new to being an agent. Veronica Mars did have her limitations.

For a brief moment he reconsidered, not that he'd _ever _let her realize that. But he quickly restored his confidence in her as he focused on all the reasons why she'd been chosen for this case in the first place.

"Your past is an advantage. I don't care what he's telling the press; we've got his background, old therapist reports. My team says it'll work. And I pay them well enough to trust that they're right."

Veronica didn't quite understand what he meant by the extra information. "What do they _think _they know about him? He's moved beyond the likes of… _me_… (she gesturedto her physique) since he left for school 5 years ago."

"You're kidding yourself if you think he won't have a physical reaction to you. But that's beside the point. Your advantage is your emotional attachment. He's a very troubled young man and you represent a part of his life that he's presently unable to move beyond."

Veronica shook her eyes and tried to push back the tears of frustration that were building. "We can't be talking about the same person here! Beverly Hills? The Playboy Mansion? How much further can you get?"

Now the director understood. She was really showing her naivety now. If she could only force herself to move past her childish fears she would realize that it wasn't just her who was standing without a choice. She was the only one who could take this case. There was truly no other 'in'.

He had no experience in dealing with female drama, nor did he see it as an area that needed developing. She'd already delayed him too much in his overwhelming list of tasks to finish today and he'd had enough. Now that he fully understood what was happening, he also knew that there was no room for such behavior in the Federal Bureau. It was time for sometough love.

"Mars, I have to say, you aren't handling the situation like a federal agent. I know you're capable of this and I can only assume that your behavior is the result of initial shock. I'll give you a day's grace before starting on this so you can get yourself together and return Monday morning as the federal agent who broke records with the Berry case."

The tiny shade of scarlet that lit her face showed him the message had _finally _hit home. "I'll give you the rest of the details on Monday," he finished.

"Yes, sir," Veronica answered immediately.

"At which time I will not allow _any _discussion that is not related to the execution of your mission."

"Yes, sir," Veronica repeated in a stronger voice. With that, she turned toward the door to leave him with his mounting paperwork.

But before finally exiting his office, she turned around once to offer her appreciation of his tolerance. "Thank you, sir. For… the day off. I promise, I won't let you down on Monday."

"I know you won't," the director replied without looking up.

Veronica nodded to herself before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

_Great, Veronica! One good case and you think you know better than the director how to do his job! I must have looked really impressive in there, babbling on like a distraught teenager. After a pause another worried thought came to her. Oh, God. I_ was _whining!_

"I am such a rookie," she said, shaking her head in disappointment. She vowed inside to put a little more thought into it before the next time she decided to tell her boss that his idea had to have been pulled out of his**-**

"Ask me why I'm standing here," Travis's low, amused voice interrupted her inner walk of shame.

"…Because you have nothing better to do?" she quipped with a deceptively sweet smile sugarcoating her rudeness.

"I know you, Veronica Mars," he said in a voice so serious it almost made her skin crawl. Her inner defenses immediately soared out of instinct.

She responded with another attempt to deflect _that _conversation! "Not as well as you think you do, since you apparently forgot that come Saturday afternoon, I'm outta here as fast as my little legs can carry me! So unless you've got something good to spill, I'll be heading to my car now."

"Relax!" he said as he followed her stride out the door. "I knew you wouldn't be so easy to convince. Did you get him to change his mind?"

Veronica wasn't sure if she should be angry that he had moved beyond 'knowing' her to fully predicting her behavior or pleased that he thought she stood a chance of persuading their stern boss. "Well, I at least got a vacation day out of it," she offered.

The information was enough to impress him. "Vacation? Here?! You _are _good," he complimented her.

Veronica couldn't help smiling at the comment, although she did so with a rolling of her eyes.

"So this means you'll have plenty of time to make me dinner tomorrow night," he continued excitedly.

Veronica cocked her head in a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Do you prefer your cyanide with the entrée or dessert?"

He laughed at her continued charade of pretending that she felt nothing for him. "Actually, I was thinking of something _else _for dessert…" he whispered before wrapping his arms around her.

She quickly tensed and pulled away, despite the smile on her face. "What are you doing?" she asked with wide eyes.

"What?" he asked innocently. "We're not at work anymore."

"We're in the _parking lot_!" she hissed.

"And a fine parking lot it is," he teased before pulling her closer to taste her lips.

She kissed him back before pulling away again. "Cut it out! What if someone sees us?"

"Would you relax? I'm smooth, remember?" he said before flashing her a charming smile.

"Oh yeah, that was real smooth in there. What was your fantasy? Me in my soaking wet prom dress?"

He laughed again at how serious she could be. "If you really want to know my fantasy, then you should _definitely _have me over for dinner tomorrow. But if you think I was the only guy in there who'd appreciate that sight… you're not as good at this detective stuffas you'd like to think you are!"

"You just want a free meal," Veronica side-stepped any further discussion of his inner fantasy.

"Yeah, this thing we have," he said, motioning his fingers between himself and her, "is purely for the benefit of my belly."

Veronica feigned surprise at the statement. "We have a 'thing'? Shouldn't I have been informed of this?"

He smiled in amusement at her usual antics. "Seriously, Mars. Tomorrow? Seven?" He grinned hopefully at the prospect.

Veronica didn't know why she was going to turn him down. Normally, she'd be looking forward to dinner with him, despite how much she enjoyed pretending to loathe him at work for secrecy's sake. But even with the grins he elicited just as always, something in the back of her mind made her hesitant today.

She was an expert at letting them down easily. It was like second nature with her, and so she didn't look at all awkward or confused as she quickly came up with a valid reason for having to say no. "You know I want to," she insisted to him just as much as herself, "But I might have stretched the truth. Just a little." She flashed him an innocent smile.

"No!" he responded, pretending to be utterly shocked. "You? Not being completely honest? Are there pigs flying behind me?" He motioned toward that direction dramatically.

Veronica punched him lightly on the shoulder before continuing. "Seriously, Travis. I have to do a little… recon on my day off. Catch myself up on all that Hollywood gossip that I love so much!"

He knew she was referring to background work for the case. Since come next week she would be heading back to her hometown, she would need to be prepared. She had to reacquaint herself with the everyday mundane stories and whispers that the world was so fascinated with. Neptune Valley was certainly a far cry from her new home in D.C.

"Well, I wouldn't want to interrupt your nightly obsession with Brad Pitt!" he teased as he accepted her rejection in the lightest manner possible.

"And it'll give you plenty of time to partake in your own with Jessica Alba!"

"Actually, it's Lindsay Lohan these days," he openly admitted.

Veronica nodded. "Something I really didn't need to know, Travis! Nice of you to share, though."

"Can't help being thoughtful," he boasted with an honest attempt at humility.

"You always were helpless to your nature," Veronica dug the knife a little deeper. Before he could reply, she opened her car door and turned to say goodbye. "Always a pleasure, Travis. But like I said. It's Saturday, and I'm quickly wondering what I'm still doing here."

"Have fun with the girls night!" he said with a wave. "Just don't stay up too late past your bedtime. Brad will still be there in the morning when you push play."

"But Lindsay might be back in rehab," she let out before shutting the door. A grin remained on her face as she pulled out of the parking lot, satisfied that she'd gotten the last word.

* * *

_So he prefers Lindsay Lohan?_ she thought with slight interest. _He'll regret letting that one slip!_

Veronica couldn't help herself. Any information she'd ever been given had been a potential tool, something she could use against a person, should the situation arise. And usually, they did. She couldn't count the number of times that men, after smiling so sweetly to her face, had turned around to go behind her back with a knife. Of course, it wasn't just the men. Although her first taste of betrayal had come from a man, it was her own mother who sunk the knife deeper by abandoning her in her teenage years.

Murder, mystery, and lies had surrounded Veronica nearly her entire life. She'd quickly learned to never let human attachment get in the way of justice. For some, it might be a difficult career choice, working for the Bureau. But not for Veronica.

Being a federal agent was her dream job, something she truly felt she was born to do. She had a natural talent for sleuthing and uncovering the truth and her tenacity made her impossible to ignore. She didn't let go until she'd found what she was looking for, something the criminal world at large usually learned the hard way. She had a way of letting her targets believe they had the upper hand throughout her dealings with them. They didn't know what had hit them until she'd gotten them right where she'd wanted and intended the whole time – behind bars.

* * *

As Veronica pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex, she thought about how she was going to handle this new assignment. This wasn't going to be like the Berry case, or any other she'd handled since entering the Bureau. This was different in a personal way, like a journalist writing a descriptive narrative about how he was left at the altar on his wedding day. _Or perhaps a girl attempting to implicate her old flame in a felony investigation… _

She couldn't say that she hadn't done stranger things. And it wouldn't be the first time she had to tip toe around him while secretly gathering evidence. _Only I'm not so sure I can be secretive this time, _she thought regretfully. Well, it didn't matter what her thoughts or personal feelings were on this case. Mr. Clarion had made that abundantly clear.

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**A/N**: thank you so much for reading! If you have any comments/suggestions, please feel free to let me know! This is my first attempt at a VM fic and so any feedback is greatly appreciated! 


	2. Chapter 2: The Story of Logan Echolls

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing; credit goes to Rob Thomas for the Veronica Mars characters  
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**Chapter 2: Hollywood Minute: the Uplifting Story of Logan Echolls**

Veronica couldn't help smiling at the hypocrisy of it all as she plopped down on her comfy brown sofa in front of the television. During his formative years, the vultures had hounded on Logan Echolls without any consideration to his well-being or the effects that being in the spotlight while at his most vulnerable could have on someone at such a young age. While he'd never had any choice in the matter, he was a constant feature on magazine covers, a usual character in the Hollywood game. The seemingly random appearances of the media soon developed into a predictable pattern. Any time a horrible event took place in his life, those times when he wanted most to be left alone, that was when they could be expected to pop up, cameras and pens ready.

And yet, despite the damage they caused in his earlier years, now they boasted about him, talking like he was a childhood friend, someone to look up to and admire, the perfect example of what it meant to 'make it big' in Hollywood. Further proof that, like everything else in the world, a reputation could also be 'won over' with money. Interesting, how the sudden change in their portrayal of Logan Echolls came shortly after he'd grossed a few box-office hits for them.

That was the paradox of Hollywood. Sure, they loved to hate people, but they had to have their _few_ 'enchanting' celebrities. Veronica didn't know the exact date when Logan had managed to gain 'Brad Pitt' status, reaching that point where even the tabloids admired him, but she didn't think it a mere coincidence that it waited until _after _he'd produced his hits. 'Fans' reappeared quickly when the world discovered that the name Echolls still had a fortune to it.

Despite her constant attempts to ignore his growing status and all things Echolls, there was one thing she didn't need to research to already know for certain. Logan Echolls was Hollywood's current It Boy.

On the surface, it truly was an inspiring story, as much as the thought made her want to gag. The son of a murderous fallen star, rising to create uplifting pieces that really meant something to people.

If only that were the true story of Logan Echolls.

"But I guess Hollywood Minute is going to tell us _that_!" Veronica joked to Backup, her furry companion for the night. How many opportunities of watching this hogwash had she passed up for anything… "What would we _rather _be doing right now, Backup?" she asked during the ending credits of the previous real-life story. "Vacationing? Yard-work? Getting our teeth pulled?" When Backup's reply was to nuzzle up to Veronica, she couldn't help but suck it up. "Yeah, okay. At least we have our popcorn. And maybe I can paint my nails!"

It dawned on her immediately following the sarcastic statement that since sinking herself into the FBI, she hadn't managed to meet a nice girlfriend. Though Travis clearly assumed she had several options to make a 'girls night' with, in truth, the closest thing she had to one was her one and only baby – her car.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to hack into a computer database for me, would ya?" Veronica asked Backup suddenly. The big dog whined and lowered his head to his paws in response.

Thoughts of Mac invaded her mind for a moment as she wondered what her old computer-skilled friend was doing these days. Part of the job meant _not _keeping in touch with people. At least, that was what she told herself. Others managed to hold onto their personal ties, but Veronica found it easier to do her job without them pulling her down. She wondered if she would have still been able to complete the Berry case in betweengirls' nights and chats with her old friends.

There was certainly a personal void that she rarely admitted existed but for nights like this.

"_This_ is why I don't believe in vacation," she commented with a sigh.

Before her thoughts could turn darker, the show began. _That's right_, she reminded herself. _I'm not really on vacation. Research to do._

"_And now, our feature presentation. Tonight, the story of a tragedy turned inspiration. The fascinating, real life story of Hollywood's returned celebrity, Logan Echolls."_

Veronica snorted at the introduction. _So now they claim him, huh? Returned?_ She looked at Backup with a smirk. "Their very own Prince Charming has returned!" Backup didn't make any motion to respond, and so Veronica turned back around to continue with her boredom. "Maybe this is one of those… gets better as it goes things," she mumbled doubtfully.

The story continued on in dramatic depiction of the hardships Logan had had to overcome to get where he was today. He was born into fame that fell to tragedy through the actions ofhis late father, the famous actor Aaron Echolls. Though he'd initially been proven innocent, the accused murderer Aaron Echolls had never made it to the speculated retrial after the appeal that Jake Kane promised was coming immediately following the disappointing verdict. Murdered soon after being acquitted, he followed Logan's mother in leaving his son in tragedy.

The circumstances surrounding his mother's death had been even more disturbing, if possible. Though putting on her happy face in front of the cameras, Lynn Echolls was fighting a drug addiction behind the scenes. Whatever had led her down that path remained a mystery, but there were speculations that her substance history was linked to her disappearance. While her body was never discovered, the sight of her abandoned vehicle at the side of the Coronado Bridge didn't leave much to the imagination as to her final moments in life.

Logan himself had battled with suicidal depression, though it never reached such depths. Through brief counseling and a willingness to walk his own path, he managed to survive his darker teenage years, though not without sketches of bad choices like most normal teenagers.

But Logan wasn't just any teenager. With a parent in the limelight, he found his own decisions quickly made their way onto a public medium. He had to learn the hard way that he would never have the luxury of privacy. He won the reputation of a 'bad boy' after an amateur streaming video surfaced with an inside look at one of his shadier nightly activities – homeless men boxing…

Veronica had a feeling of déjà vu as she watched all of the events unfold. She tried to be unattached, but it was different for her. She wasn't just hearing the story; she was reliving it. The few clips that flashed across the screen of him exiting the courtroom…

She didn't need the gossip hounds to tell her how he felt that day. She'd been right with him in the limo, holding his hand as cameras flashed all around. Her heart skipped a beat until she regained control of her emotions. _Come on, Veronica! This isn't real. Not anymore._

Her stare was stern as she continued to watch. Finally, they got to the start of what she knew but hadn't been a part of.

He'd gone into the same business as his father, despite how much he'd hated it as a child. Acting was about the only work he hadn't done in Hollywood. He was a triple threat- writer, director, and producer. Most of his talent lay in his directing, though not to discredit his writing. While he turned out to be a natural in evoking just the right emotion for a scene, he also knew how to write it just as powerfully, when motivated enough. His landmark hit that had given him his own name instead of just his father's was a low-budget indie film that he wrote, produced, and directed. Interestingly, the story was about a snarky female private eye who managed to uncover every sleaze in her city, but in the process, lost her identity entirely and ended the movie without a name.

Veronica swallowed hard as she recalled her first reaction to hearing about the piece. At the time, she'd been furious and had seriously considered calling him to have it out, ask him if his hand hurt from slapping her across the face like that, maybe even demand a take of the profits. But she'd managed to have enough self-control not to make the call. Besides, she'd told herself, he wasn't a part of her life any longer. And she preferred it remained that way.

Veronica tried not to get too carried away with her own reactions and to remain objective as she ripped herself away from her thoughts. She already knew how she felt, and that wasn't going to help her on her current case. She needed to suffer through the entire, sodding tale according to the public at large, despite her own interpretation of Prince Charming.

The film had brought with it attention that Logan was already growing accustomed to. Reporters probed him for his inspiration, shoving the name Veronica Mars in his face, but he denied the former acquaintance had any effect on him, let alone any lasting impressions to write such a passionate piece about. He insisted that the only aspect of his character he'd taken from Veronica was her sleuthing skills, joking that he was never very good at sneaking around, as they must know from all the photographs they managed to take of his multiple one-night encounters.

Veronica grinned as she heard the quote. "Ever the charmer, that one," she couldn't help commenting. So being adored and sought after didn't come without perks. He had his choice of the flocks and while not yet living up to his father's notorious reputation, he still claimed a daily mention in all the tabloids.

'Pretty renowned considering he isn't an actor,' the host commented.

_That's one way of looking at it…_, Veronica thought bitterly. Then again, the host had brought up a good point. He almost seemed to enjoy making an ass out of himself for the cameras, and yet he refused to fall into a role for them.

…_The one job associated with Hollywood that Logan promised _never _to partake in. _

The host phrased it a little differently than Veronica, which included another slightly scandalous video clip of Logan. Someone had 'leaked' the clip to the press and days later it appeared everywhere, courtesy of streaming video. The intimate piece featured Logan up close and personal paying a drunken visit to his mother's grave. He grinned, holding a bottle of Patron in one hand and laying the other on the tombstone as he made it official. He vowed, quite literally on his mother's grave, to never become an actor like his 'adored' father. The serious statement came in between mumbled comments to the unknown holding the camera, requesting to get his 'good' side.

He'd later, in a more professional context, been quoted as saying that while he appreciated those that starred in his movies, he could never bring himself to be so fake on a daily basis. Gossipers of course had other speculations. Whispers of his publicized broken childhood and teenage years hadn't died down, despite his growing into his own man. Anyone could guess that his refusal to take on any acting had nothing to do with being 'fake'. It was his everlasting rebellion against the man that his father was, someone he'd publicly admitted holding hatred for even after his death.

There wasn't one golden video clip to show; he'd openly stated it, drunk or otherwise, whenever asked about his late father. All he could bring himself to say was, "I hate that man." Though the words were spoken calmly, there was a quiet rage showing in his eyes every time he said it.

More recently, this had evolved into a 'no comment', but it was still something the press brought up as often as possible when around him. He'd been offered millions for a tell-all book but he'd said he wasn't quite ready to cash in on his father's atrocities.

The show ended with the genius question of 'what will he do next?' followed tactlessly by 'We'll be there to find out.'

Veronica turned to Backup for the recap. "So what did we learn about Logan? He has no publicist, and he needs one desperately; he prefers his philosophical conversations over a mixture of jack and jose; and his girl of the month is actually a girl of the night, which unfortunately means no female acquaintances to pester into a confession."

With that she sighed aloud as she considered her options. An almost devilish grin lit her face as she quickly reconsidered. "Then again, the other way of looking at it is that he knows tons of people to question. And I'm betting that each one of them has _something _valuable to add."

She rubbed Backup, offering a quick and excited massage before adding, "Not that we'll let _them _know that!"

_Okay, Veronica_, began her inner pep talk. _Background work. Check._

But she knew that wasn't true. Now she knew what the rest of the world knew about Logan Echolls. But that wasn't going to get her to convince a jury that he was guilty of smuggling drugs.

Veronica wouldn't admit it out loud, but she'd felt a stab of disappointment when she'd first read the report. It had been a bit of a surprise, realizing that somewhere inside her she was still holding onto a sliver of hope for him.

_But not anymore, _she thought, determined. Logan had to be punished for breaking the law, just like any other citizen. _Once an evil-doer, always an evil-doer!_ she thought as her determination built. A tiny grin stretched across her face, despite how drudgingly she'd started off the assignment. Bringing Logan Echolls to justice was something to look forward to. She could already picture the _next _Hollywood Minute special on Logan. They would surely be there for the arrest.

_And so will I._

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Veronica wondered if she should tell her director that it wasn't the first time Logan had dealt with drugs. She knew firsthand that he liked to kick it with rohypnol and slip it into unsuspecting girls' drinks at parties just for fun. And then there was the time when he'd smuggled steroids across the border from Mexico. Of course, his friend claimed he was just the driver, but it could have been the beginnings of a lucrative franchise for Logan.

A rather thick file slapping onto the table in front of her brought Veronica's attention back to her director. "Skim it, read it, memorize it, I don't care. We've gone over it with a fine comb and you only need to read the summary."

Veronica nodded, "What is-"

"It's his psychiatrist reports, going back to his first tragedy. The girlfriend… Lilly?"

"Lilly Kane," Veronica answered immediately, a wicked smile lighting her face. _Are we really gonna play this game, Clarion? You must have caught the red flag from _my _psychiatrist reports during your background check._

"Of course you're… fairly familiar with that," he offered lamely.

"After investigating the case myself and going head-to-head with her killer…," Veronica got a hold on her emotions before continuing further in her rant. "Yes, I suppose 'familiar' is an appropriate label."

_Boy! Nothing like forcing me to relive my happiest moments!_ Veronica tried to ignore the flashback feelings of gasping for her life and being surrounded in darkness that were threatening to distract her. Amazing that she'd walked away from the situation _without _a fear of enclosed spaces.

"Mars," he began in his disapproving tone. "Do I need to remind you that Aaron Echolls was found-"

"The results of his trial are meaningless to the case. I know he's guilty. And more importantly, so does Logan."

The director opened his mouth to argue until he realized it was a good point.

"Well, you probably won't need to take a look at this then-" he began, reaching an arm out to take back the file.

But Veronica immediately grabbed it and offered an appreciative grin. "You can never be too prepared, right?"

She'd already gotten an inside look into one session of his, but she couldn't deny the curiosity to find out the rest. It was then that she'd really seen his situation. He was hanging by a thread, despite how cocky he acted at school. He'd asked the counselor what was so great about living…

"Veronica?" the director brought her out of her traveling thoughts.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What's your plan?" he repeated.

"The plan…," she began. _Of course. _She paused while trying to think of how to explain it. It was then that she realized she didn't have a plan, per say, so much as a… goal.

"The plan," she repeated, "Is to do this by the book."

The director looked surprised at her straight arrow approach for once.

"I've done preliminary background research. I'll continue on the plane," she held up the large file with another look of thanks, "And when I arrive, I'll start by collecting statements from his friends and neighbors."

"Veronica, this is a different case than the ones you've handled, excellently, I might add, up to this point. Unlike a bomb threat or a kidnapping, this is one of those that… eerily, appears safe until you're already in too deep to get out. What I'm saying is, don't let your guard down, no matter how safe your surroundings appear."

Veronica wanted to laugh. _Is he seriously warning me about Logan? _"I appreciate the advice, sir. But you don't need to tell me to keep my guard up. It always is!" she insisted, ending with a grin.

-------------------------------

Veronica left the office feeling less excited about the case than she had been walking in. She'd been hoping that there was some extra information to help build her case that Clarion was only waiting to tell her. But it seemed she was going to have to work this going on a hunch.

The evidence they'd compiled to lead them to suspect Logan was circumstantial at best. He'd been 'linked' to a few drug sales by the word of a couple witnesses, whose sketchy backgrounds involved going back and forth between correctional centers and probation and had recently escalated into drug trafficking themselves.

What was inadmissible, but much more convincing, was the location of all the busts. The FBI had several 'insiders' playing addicts by day and agents by night who'd noticed a pattern. Sales always went down at Logan's properties. While they weren't limited to one in particular, the owner always ended up being Logan. The times would make him appear innocent, but to Veronica, it was more proof that he was trying to cover his tracks. The sales always took place during 'on-time' for a film of his, providing an easy alibi every time. It was sketchy, but it would still hold over in court. Unless a certain blonde agent could find a hole in the story.

Veronica's first goal was to find the crack in Logan's alibi. She didn't think she was going to find a hidden warehouse to directly link Logan to the drug sales, at least not until she'd gotten the chance to dig further. But she knew that like all celebrities, Logan must have his vices, _something_ he'd slip away for during his supposed filming time. That was where his acquaintances, strangers or not, would come in handy.

"Maybe there's a couple names in here…," she wondered aloud as she gathered her belongings. _Gotta get to the airport before the storm hits and I'm delayed_.

Her rush out of the office was interrupted as she almost ran into a certain taller gentleman.

"Going somewhere?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"Out to lunch," Veronica lied. She didn't have time for one of their banter sessions right now.

"Cool, lemme join you. Just gotta drop this off, and I'll be right-"

"I'm meeting someone," Veronica continued to try and deflect his company.

Travis couldn't hide the hurt from immediately showing before he recovered with a charming smile. "Anyone I know?"

"No, actually. It's a witness who would like to remain anonymous. But it was really hard to get them to talk, and… I'm gonna be late if I don't get out of here right now." _That sounds convincing enough._

"Okay," he said with a curiously neutral expression as he held his arms up in surrender. "Don't let me keep you," he added with a slightly strained smile.

Veronica nodded, offering a small smile of her ownas a twinge of guilt managed to creep its way up her spine. She quickly shook off the feeling with a rushed motion toward the door.

"Good luck, Mars," she heard him call at her back before the door shut.

* * *

**A/N: **thanks so much to everyone who left me a review from the last chapter! I really appreciate the feedback, it is always welcome! 


	3. Chapter 3: Traffic Control

**Disclaimer**: I do not own these characters! Veronica Mars characters are thanks to Rob Thomas  
**a/n**: this is shorter than the rest. I just couldn't seem to make it any longer! It may be a while before the next one, but it should be longer and reveal some more**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3: Traffic Control**

"Ms. Mars?" a female flight attendant asked politely, taking away Veronica's hopes of getting some shut-eye.

"Yeah, that's me," she answered, grinning in feigned anticipation. She had to partially lean over the rather attractive-looking man seated beside her. _Please don't ask me how the peanuts were._

However, no questions of service came up. Instead, Veronica found a teenybopper magazine thrust in her face. She looked up hesitantly, not sure if she should be offended or laughing at the obvious mistake.

Before any comment could form, the stewardess explained, "Courtesy of a Mr. Clarion. Enjoy!" With that, she turned around to return to her usual duties.

Veronica sat with her mouth open in shock. She glanced at the man next to her who looked quite amused by the gesture but had the self-control not to laugh out loud.

Veronica continued to look offended until her lips betrayed her as they curved upward in a grin. She finally gave in and chuckled before staring at the cover. An unrecognizable band, if it weren't for the large, bold letters proclaiming their name, graced the cover – 4 pretty boys with smiles that could warm a girl's heart. _Gee, Clarion, how thoughtful of you…_

"You a fan?" the man finally spoke up, his first words to her. The question came with a jackass smile to go with his jackass suit. Suddenly, Veronica didn't find him so attractive.

"Totally, dude!" she returned in mocking tone while giving him the bull sign.

The man answered with muffled laughter before shaking his head and turning around to continue minding his own business.

After rolling her eyes, Veronica quickly flipped through the magazine to find what Clarion really wanted. She almost missed it, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught someone she recognized. Laying low on page 21 was a candid shot of Logan. He was only in the background, though, as the other man in the photo took the spotlight and the caption for the photo. 'Production Assistant or Party Assistant?' was the clever title of the short blurb about the man. 'Peter Jacobs may have entered the Hollywood scene as a sidekick, but word is he's quite the front man when it comes to having a good time. You'll be seeing more of Jacobs at the hottest spots and also in a few small roles in upcoming films.'

_Production Assistant? Sidekick? Does he work with Logan? Or is he just one of his many party friends?_ Veronica made a mental note to remember the name as she continued to scan the magazine for something important.

Finally, the reason her boss had embarrassed her, a top 10 list of the hottest Hollywood homes. _Man, I must be really cool!_ she thought sarcastically as she eyed number 4. She knew the sofa in that photo very well…

Before a flashback of making out with Logan could interrupt her detective work, she quickly focused on the photo and accompanying article.

'Though not in the 90210, our number 4 spot is well earned. Hiding away in Neptune Valley lies a gorgeous property fit for any hot, young, Hollywood bachelor. Owned by Logan Echolls, it comes with raves every weekend and a beautiful view. More photographers have managed to get past the gate than in years past as the Echolls parties grow larger and wilder! But today we aren't interested in Echolls' nightly activities or his company – it's the 8,756 square ft home that has caught our eye.' _You sure it wasn't the $6 million dollar price tag?_ Veronica thought sarcastically. '8 bedrooms and a heated swimming pool that spans the 500-foot back porch sounds impressive enough, but it's taken on a few improvements since changing ownership from the late Aaron Echolls to his son Logan. Recent additions include a gazebo in the yard with a built-in serving bar for his famous pool parties, a private garden spa set within a lush landscape, and a state-of-the-art gaming room with the latest in technology with virtual reality videogames and the classics like pinball and foosball, just to name a few.

'What made this number 4 instead of 5 is the secret VIP party room. Our sources tell us this is the greatest of Logan's recent additions to the property. Only Logan's closest associates can get in, but we're told it's 'epic'.'

Veronica nearly choked, despite having nothing in her mouth. Wasn't there some other cliché they could have thrown in there? _Did they _have _to use _that _word!_ As she heard her thoughts, Veronica realized how ridiculous she was being, nearly choking over a common word. _Ugh, Veronica. Get it together!_

She went on acting as though she hadn't had such a dramatic reaction. Her eyes scanned for the place she'd left off at. _Where was I… oh, yes. 'Epic!'_

"Everyone going in there is big money!" our anonymous source tells us. _Big money, she says? Now, I'm curious! Is this where the deals go down?_

'And we're told that this room is a new feature in all of Echolls' properties!'

Veronica's hunch was feeling more and more solid. _A secret party room?_ It was the perfect spot for a few illegal dealings, and with additions on all his properties, location wouldn't be a problem.

'Here's hoping Echolls' redecorating spree continues! If he makes it big enough for us to come, we'll move his mansion to number 1!'

Veronica again found her eyes rolling. _Couldn't they leave out the cheese?_

After she'd gotten over the shallow writing, Veronica found herself deep in thought and with many questions. _There's probably not an undercover agent close enough to Logan to get into that room… _A horrible thought flashed across her mind. _Does Clarion expect me to get in? _She sincerely hoped that wasn't in his plans. No amount of charm or flirtatious conversation would grant her 'VIP status' with Logan. She had a much better chance of being on his shit list. That led to another unpleasant thought. _What if I've already been blacklisted?_ They hadn't exactly ended things on the best of terms…

_Then again, when have I ever worried about getting on his 'good side'?_ Veronica decided to quit drowning herself in the 'what if's' and focus on what she knew for certain. As long as her name was Veronica Mars, there was nothing that could keep her from getting what she wanted.

An involuntary yawn interrupted her thoughts. _And right now, I want a nap!_ With that thought, Veronica realized that there was no reason to stay awake for the moment. Besides, her best thinking was done on her feet. There was no way she could prepare herself for every possible scenario, so the best action was to be on her best game and go with the flow. _And part of my best game means being well rested!_

Her mind quickly caught up with her body as her eyes fluttered shut and she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

Veronica had almost forgotten how nice the weather was in Neptune. She wore a jean miniskirt with a form-fitting, simple black top, something she couldn't get away with at the office. Veronica couldn't deny that she'd been thinking of Logan when she'd selected the flattering ensemble. _May as well look my best when I go into the den of evil!_

Veronica didn't want to admit it, but the truth was that she was still holding onto the hope of sweet-talking her way into the place.

But as she walked up to the door, she quickly reconsidered her approach. _I've never had to ask to come in before…_ she thought mischievously as she decided against knocking and instead slipped inside unnoticed.

Her eyes roamed the place, looking for any changes or any sign of a warm body. Her search was interrupted as she took in the sight of the couch. It was still the same sofa that had held her back so comfortably while he was leaning over her, trailing her neckline with kisses…

Veronica was grateful when the sound of a door opening brought her back to reality. That is, until she realized it was a _door opening!_

_Oh, my God! He's here!_

She quickly dove to the nearest room and shut the door as quietly as possible. She finally released the breath she'd been holding in and allowed a smile to stretch across her face as she realized she was safe. _And just in time! Be more careful next time, Veronica! That was a close one…_

"You're not my masseuse," a familiar voice broke the silence.

Veronica quickly spun around and gasped without thinking as she realized she wasn't alone. Her blue-gray eyes were wide with shock as they stared into brown.

"Logan…," she blurted lamely, at a loss for words.

His eyes traveled from her stare all the way down her body and back up again. She found herself blushing, but she wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment at getting caught or frustration that he was checking her out inches from her face.

"This just won't do…" he commented rudely.

Veronica couldn't help glaring at his reaction to seeing her. "Is that so?" she snapped without thinking.

"I know where this is gonna end up," he explained.

Veronica held open her mouth at his audacity before responding, "If you think I came back here to try and-"

"You'll start off all cute and sweet, stroking my tired muscles-"

Veronica could only shake her head, again silenced by his nerve.

"…But then you'll leave me missing a limb. You're like a scorpion, Mars." He said it with such venom and sincerity that she found herself speechless.

"And I prefer my massage coming from a more delicate touch," he finished.

Veronica nodded and offered a smile in response. _There's the Logan we all love and adore! _"Always the poet," she remarked sarcastically.

"Always the intruder," he returned coldly. "Breaking and entering stopped being cute when you stopped talking to me."

Veronica was surprised to find that she felt a twinge of guilt for a moment before she regained herself. _He is _not _going to make this all _my _fault!_

As she tried to think of a response, she realized that a more delicate approach might not be such a bad idea. "Who says I broke in here?" she asked innocently.

"Is your last name Mars?"

"I just… I didn't know if you'd let me in if I came through the front door," she explained. Her voice sounded so sincere as it came out of her mouth, she was even finding herself believing it.

"As much as it _pains _me to do so, I have to say you're right."

"So…," she trailed before attempting to relieve the awkward tension, "Masseuse, huh? Are you wound up that tight, Logan?" What should have been sarcastic teasing somehow came out with much more of a seductive undertone than Veronica had been intending.

"You would know," he answered with a smirk.

She couldn't believe he was making her blush again.

"Looks like you could loosen up a little, yourself," he continued as he stared at her again. This time, it was so intense that it caught her off guard. She tried to hold herself together as he moved closer.

"Nothing a brisk walk won't cure!" she commented lamely, trying to ignore the tingling traveling up her spine.

"I've got a better idea," he said again with a charming smirk. He leaned his head closer to hers and angled his mouth over hers.

Before he could seal her lips with a kiss, Veronica pushed him away. _No, no, the case! I can't do this - !_ Her thoughts were cut off as Logan took her lips and weakened her knees all at once. "Logan, no! This is too fast…!"

Logan pulled away and held her arms as he stared intently into her flushed face. "C'mon, Ronni. We both know that time doesn't matter." Veronica was so stunned and confused by this statement that she couldn't protest as Logan moved in for another kiss.

Veronica found herself returning his kiss with just as much fervor, and she didn't realize he'd stopped until she finally registered the feel of his breath on her ear as he spoke. "We're epic, Veronica."

Veronica's eyes unclouded as she questioned what he'd said. "What?" she asked seriously.

"We're epic," he repeated as he held her eyes with his. "Spanning years and continents, lives ruined, bloodshed – epic."

Veronica felt her eyes round in sudden terror. "This isn't happening…"

"Veronica…"

She shook her head. "No, this cannot be happening…"

"Veronica… _Veronica Mars!"_

* * *

The distant calling became louder and louder as her subconscious poured her senses back to her. 

"Veronica Mars?" the woman repeated.

Veronica finally snapped awake, "What, what?"

"We've landed. Do you need help with your carry-on items?" the stewardess asked with a polite smile.

Veronica held one hand to her temple. She felt like she'd woken up after being shot with a tranquilizer. "Uhh, no. No, I'm fine, thanks."

As she gathered more of her surroundings, she realized she'd been asleep for 12 hoursstraight. _That's the last time I sleep without an alarm! _she vowed in her mind as she groggily reached for her luggage.

She was still flustered as she gathered her belongings. She placed one finger to her lips as she recalled her vivid dream. _It felt so real…_

Veronica couldn't believe how caught up she'd gotten in the dream. Clarion had mentioned that there was a reason she'd been chosen for this case, a past connection that Logan hadn't had the chance to move beyond…

_But I bet my boss didn't bank on me sharing that same burden, _she thought with frustration. She knew she'd been fighting this case the ever since she'd gotten it. Her inner detective wasn't pleased. _When are you going to get your head in the game?_

One thing was for certain: getting distracted or side-tracked by dreams wasn't going to bring her any closer to solving the mystery. _Besides, it wasn't even real._

She decided to file the vivid creation of her subconscious under "strange and meaningless" brought on by a foolish sense of nostalgia thanks to endless dredging up of the past in order to prep for this case. _Not to mention_ _a bit of low-pressure air in a plane bringing out my inner blonde…_

She finally shoved all thoughts that didn't involve forming the questions that were going to implicate Logan in a sticky drug-trafficking scheme firmly out of her head and grabbed her bags before marching purposefully out of the plane.

* * *

**a/n**: Thanks so much for the reviews from last chapter and for reading! Feedback is always welcome :) 


	4. Chapter 4: Mending and Blending

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own the characters! Thank you Rob Thomas  
**A/N**: I am sorry this took forever to update. I won't delay you any further...

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**Chapter 4: Mending and Blending**

Veronica never imagined having to break into her old house, but apparently her father had moved the usual key spot since she'd left.

"Who wants ham salad?" she called into the place cheerfully as she set her suitcase on the ground.

Veronica soon discovered that her reunion with her father would have to wait. No one was home at the moment. _Wonder what he's doing right now…_

She pushed open the door to her room and smiled at the sight. Though the walls were a little more bare than they'd once been, it seemed his sarcastic promise to turn it into a showroom for all his achievements had been a false one.

She tossed her suitcase and bag aside and immediately collapsed onto her old bed. Her new one in D.C. may have had more fluff stuffed into it, but nothing could compare to snuggling up in the bed she'd grown up with.

A vibrating from her bag interrupted her feeling of nostalgia and effectively killed the moment. She grudgingly sat up to answer her cell phone. "Hello?"

"_Have any evidence yet?"_

"I've only just arrived!" she answered.

"_I take it you haven't even started."_

"I thought it more appropriate to do my investigation _without _lugging around a suitcase. Might look suspicious, draw the wrong attention, ruin my credibility."

"_I didn't call to hear all the fabulous reasons why you haven't started. You're fine for now, but I better not hear any excuses the next time I call."_

Veronica bit back the urge to defend herself and instead tried to finish the unpleasant phone call with as little argument as possible. "So why _did_ you call, then? Miss me already?"

"_Just wanted to remind you that there's a film in production right now."_

"Is that a suggestion or an order?" Veronica replied. To be fair, she hadn't made up her mind yet about where to start on this one, but barging onto his current set didn't seem too bright an idea to her right now.

"_I have complete faith in you on this one, Mars. But you can't take any shortcuts."_

"Shortcuts?" Veronica repeated, not gathering what he meant by the statement.

"_There's no need to break and enter. You may contact this number whenever you come to an obstacle."_

Veronica frowned. _I just got here and he's already questioning my methods?_ "Understood, sir. Is that all?"

"_I'll be contacting you again in 24 hours' time and I expect a full report. I'll want a working plan typed up and sent to me by Thursday."_

"Should I include a slideshow?" Veronica couldn't keep herself from saying.

"_The clock is ticking, Mars."_

Veronica frowned as a 'click' sounded in her ear. _He's awfully pleasant today! Did Darius forget to show up to work again?_

Veronica threw her head back in frustration. She knew that if she couldn't find something good to report back to him tomorrow, she'd lose her freedom on the case and end up being the Bureau's puppet on this one.

_Where to begin…_

She helped herself to a snack from the cupboard before setting herself in front her father's computer. _Let's see what I'm dealing with…_

The first name she searched for was Dick Casablancas, the last known BFF of Logan's. Her eyes quickly scanned the page. _…Neptune High…yada yada… University of California Business School… 3.2 GPA?_ "This can't be the same person," Veronica commented in disbelief.

The blonde frat boy she'd gone to high school with had a one-track mind, and it certainly didn't include studying. Veronica knew he'd transferred after his first year at Hearst. _Just like Logan. _What she didn't realize was that he apparently got a brain transplant as well.

Like any good BFF, he'd followed in his friend's footsteps. Logan's film school was only an hour and a half drive away from the business school, so it wouldn't have been difficult to stay in touch.

The short blurb went on to say that he was currently living in Neptune now that he'd graduated. _But are they still friends?_ Veronica frowned as she realized this was getting her nowhere. _What I need is to talk to someone who knows the town gossip._

A smile spread across her face as it came to her- the one person who always knew the talk of the town. There were a couple moments in their past where Veronica had been forced to concede and accept that she didn't hear it first, although that usually only happened when it involved something she couldn't care less about anyway.

* * *

"Veronica Mars!" he said aloud after he'd released her from a hug. "Damn, I thought I was never gonna see you again."

"You never gave me a booty call!" she joked.

The look he gave her was priceless. "You realize you're still like a sister to me. And it ain't even like that. You changed your number after you graduated. FBI protocol?"

"No," Veronica admitted as she pushed down a twinge of guilt. "More like Veronica protocol." She wished she had some sort of explanation to give him. "I knew it was gonna be hard so I just…"

"Made it easy?" Wallace finished for her. He'd always had a way of telling her exactly how he felt in the simplest of ways. At least he wasn't too complicated to figure out. _Unlike the subject of my case…_

"Wallace, I'm sorry," she offered.

"Hey, it's cool. You don't need to explain it to me. I'm just glad you finally admitted to yourself that life without Wallace Fennel isn't worth living." He grinned confidently as he finished.

Veronica hated to push the knife deeper, but she didn't want to feed him some story to trick him into helping her. Besides, he was a smart guy and would figure it out anyway before long. "Actually, I'm here on a case. But that's top secret government information and I'll have to kill you if you tell anyone. You know they do make licenses to kill. You should see the picture on mine."

"Before you exploit me for information or ask me to go steal something for you, can we get some grub and pretend like you just came to visit for a little bit? Or better yet, treat me like one of your unsuspecting informants - butter me up before you take advantage of me."

Veronica hated how conniving he made her sound, but at least he wasn't giving her too hard a time about it. She decided to take his words easily and continued to try and keep things as light as possible despite how hurt he must have been feeling thanks to her near disappearing act. "You've got it. But are you sure your lady won't mind?"

"The number one lady in my life is my momma."

Veronica couldn't hide her surprise, but before she could comment, Wallace added, "Oh yeah, there is this other woman. No really, I'm crazy about her. She's an actress, can you believe that? Keep that on the low, though. I promised myself the only way I was gonna return to the spotlight was winning the championship."

"That's right! Basketball season starts in a couple weeks. How's the coaching going? Or, prepping, I guess? Since it isn't official yet." Veronica asked.

"Don't worry, I have plenty of stories. But I'm not sayin another word until I have a plate of grinders in front of me."

"Okay," Veronica agreed with a smile. "I'll pay, but you're gonna have to drive. I had to leave my baby in D.C."

"Sounds like a song, doesn't it?" Wallace mumbled quietly on his way to the car before coming up with his own original tune. "My baby! In D.C!"

Veronica rolled her eyes but was too grateful for the company to ruin his moment. _Or is it silencing guilt? _she asked herself. She'd always planned on giving him her new number and address. It just… never happened, and before she knew it, a year had passed without any contact whatsoever. _Except for that one time…_

* * *

FLASHBACK: 

Veronica felt a churn in her stomach as her eyes rolled over the news. "Oh, my God…" she murmured as she read on.

"What is it?" Travis asked her, showing genuine concern. "That's not exactly morning coffee conversation."

"I think I need to go Neptune…" she blurted without thinking, her initial reaction to the news. She was flustered and rushing to read the rest of the article.

"Oh, yeah, you went to school with that guy, didn't you? Were you friends?" Travis asked.

"We were _best _friends," Veronica answered, not caring at the moment how immature it might sound to categorize.

"Well, he's in recovery at least," Travis commented, trying to make her feel better.

"But this says he might never play again. I can't believe this! Who would do such a thing? He could have died!" Veronica exclaimed.

"So, what exactly happened? I just heard that the new all-star rookie of the NBA was caught in a drive by right before playoffs."

"It says here that the police think the shooting was completely unrelated to the start of the playoffs," Veronica paraphrased the front page article.

"Wrong place, wrong time, huh?" Travis said, his face wincing at her friend's poor circumstance.

"They have no solid leads," Veronica finished the article, infuriated. "The bastard that did this is going to walk free while Wallace may never walk again!"

"Veronica, if you want, I can try to convince Clarion to let me handle the case by myself for a few days. We're still in the preliminary stages, anyway. I'm sure he'll agree that I don't need a partner for a couple days."

Veronica seriously considered it before reality came back to her. She couldn't leave the investigation, not now. And besides, how would that look to her boss? It was her first _real_ case. She wasn't tackling the Bureau's leftovers on this one, and how would it look to try and take some vacation time now? There was a reason that the policy of taking time off on such short notice was only acceptable for an immediate family emergency.

She gave Travis an appreciative smile but couldn't accept the offer. "That's sweet of you, but what if you catch a break while I'm gone? Someone else who is completely out of the loop would have to try and cover and we'd probably end up with a botched up job. I can't find Wallace's shooter or fix what's happened to him. At least I can make sure that the guy _we're _chasing gets brought to justice."

"Okay," Travis accepted. "But in that case, why don't we get to work. Maybe it'll help take your mind off of things."

"Sure," Veronica agreed, setting the paper back down in its usual spot.

-------------------------------------------------------

Veronica wanted to wait for the numbness in her stomach to go away before making the call. But as the seconds turned into minutes passing, her anxiety only increased. She glanced at the clock for the fourth time and realized she had no more time left to stall. If she didn't do it now, she wouldn't get the chance to before her briefing at the office.

_Just do it!_ she told herself and lifted the phone and dialed before she could put it off any longer. _Please tell me he can talk right now_, she hoped as she heard the ring-back.

"_Cedars Hospital, how can I help you?" _a female voice answered on the other end.

Veronica swallowed for a moment, too afraid of what she might find out to ask right away.

"_Hello?" _the woman asked after a pause.

"I was hoping to find out the current condition of Wallace Fennel," Veronica told her once she'd found her voice again.

"_Ma'am, I'm sorry but I can't discuss that over the phone. There's going to be a press conference tomorrow morning outside the hospital with further details that you're more than welcome to attend."_

It sounded like she was going to hang up, so Veronica quickly tried to stop her. "Wait! Can I speak with him?" she tried.

"_I'm sorry, ma'am, but the Fennel family has asked for their privacy at this time."_

"I'm an old friend of his," Veronica tried again before realizing how she sounded. _This would be so much easier if he wasn't the hottest story in the press right now!_ "I'm not trying to scam you," Veronica continued, sounding more sincere and less urgent. "I went to Neptune High with him and he's a really good friend. Could you just mention the name Veronica Mars and see if they'll let me talk to him?"

The woman on the other end hesitated before offering, _"Hold on just a moment and I'll see if I can help you out."_

When she came back, she said, _"Ms. Mars?"_

"Yes, I'm still here," Veronica answered immediately.

"_Mrs. Fennel told me to thank you for your concern and inform you that Wallace is going to be fine but he is resting right now."_

"But is he going to walk again?" Veronica couldn't help asking as her emotions got the better of her.

"_We have our doctors working around the clock to help him, and physical therapy has already been scheduled for the near future. There is a very good chance that he will be walking and even playing basketball again by next season."_

"Thank God," Veronica breathed, truly relieved.

"_Is there anything else I can help you with?" _the woman asked.

"Uh, no," Veronica answered after she'd thought about it. "Could you just let Wallace know that I called?"

"_Of course," _she said.

"Thank you."

-------------END FLASHBACK

* * *

A phone call may have seemed like enough at the time, but looking back, Veronica realized that the moment she'd known he was going to be okay, she'd stopped trying to keep in touch with Wallace all over again. Even though she could've called him whenever she pleased, she hadn't given him the same luxury. Once she'd changed her cell phone number, she'd never bothered giving it out to the people she used to call friends.

Even before his accident she hadn't been a good friend. Her big plan at the time was to finish her first real case with Travis and then take a vacation. She was planning on going to Wallace's next game just as soon as she'd nailed her case, and if his team had lost by then, she was going to tease him about it and force him to take her to an NBA game anyway to watch the team that had beat his.

Instead, she'd buried herself in her work and had forgotten to come up for air. She'd kept putting it off until the thought of Wallace nearly disappeared altogether. That is, until a top-selling front page article in the coffee room reminded her that she'd been abandoning her old friends.

And instead of learning her lesson, she'd put a band-aid over the gaping hole in her life and went on as though everything was fine.

What was possibly worse than the guilt of knowing she'd hurt him just as badly as she'd feared was the unwavering confidence she still had in her decision. Although it wasn't what was best for their friendship, she still believed that leaving at such a critical time in her career and case would have been a bad decision and she might not be where she was today because of it.

Veronica hadn't really planned a backup if the FBI didn't turn out like she'd been hoping. There were always going to be people who lied and cheated so there would always be a business for someone to expose them – a private investigator. Veronica knew she wouldn't be jobless without it, but it would have marked the end of her dreams if she hadn't made it to the FBI and so there never was a real Plan B.

_Maybe I can make up for it now, _she thought. But she knew she wasn't on vacation yet; she still had a case to solve. The decision to keep her friends out of her new life wasn't meant to be permanent, and maybe she was finally settled enough to try and make time for both a job and a personal life. _As soon as this case is over, _she vowed in her mind, _I'm gonna do all the things I've been putting off for too long._

* * *

Wallace had successfully gotten Veronica caught up on all his life's affairs by the time dessert came.

"So you would really give up engineering?" Veronica asked. Wallace had told her all about his future plans, which specifically included coaching for the Hearst basketball team. Word was the coach had already announced his retirement plans to his colleagues, and Wallace was the number one pick for the job, assuming of course that he didn't fail miserably with Neptune High's team in the meanwhile.

"I don't know," Wallace answered honestly. He'd spent a summer on an internship for engineering, but he'd passed up the opportunity to continue the following summer when Hoops Dreams offered him a summer of training instead. "I love engineering, you know. I guess I'm a nerd like that. But don't tell the lady."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Veronica assured him with an amused smile.

"This coaching thing won't be forever for me. I'm just not ready to give it up yet, that's all."

Veronica nodded, "I guess we have to go after our dreams sometimes, even if it means saying no to something else."

"Are we still talkin' about basketball here?" Wallace asked.

Veronica came out of her wandering thoughts and gave him a smile. "We're talking about why you're letting your ice cream melt. I'd be happy to take it off your hands if you don't want it!"

"I got this!" Wallace insisted before digging in.

After a few bites, he came up with an idea. "I'll still take you to Dick's," he told her, "but since we don't know if that's gonna help at all, I got a backup plan."

"I already like the sounds of this!" Veronica encouraged him, "Do tell."

"So my girl-"

"Tracy," Veronica recalled.

"Yeah," Wallace continued. "Like I said, she's an actress. She's pretty down to earth, though. Not really into the Hollywood scene."

"Okay," Veronica said. "I told you, she sounds cool. You don't need to win me over!"

"No, I mean, she doesn't go, but she's always getting invited to the craze. I'm sure she could get you into Logan's parties."

Veronica didn't know what to say at first, and so let Wallace continue. "I bet he's not even there half the time. Probably preoccupied in his room, if you read the tabloids."

Veronica grinned at the plan. "So you're saying that I could get a free pass to the crime scene."

"Alleged," Wallace reminded her. "Don't get me wrong, I think he's a jerk, but it wouldn't be the first time he was wrongly accused."

"You're defending him," Veronica commented, a little surprised.

"I don't know what went down between the two of you," Wallace admitted, "But I _do _know that the boy saved your life."

Veronica looked down, not liking where the conversation was headed. "Whatever his actions in the past are, it doesn't excuse supplying illegal drugs and profiting off the suffering of others. He's _allegedly_ supporting addiction."

"I'm just saying-"

"Can we not talk about this?" Veronica interrupted him. "Don't worry, I haven't convicted him yet. I'm just collecting evidence right now, and regardless of who is responsible, it's all happening at his properties. Do you know when the next one will be?"

Wallace shook his head, "Nah, Tracy never talks about that. But I'm positive she's invited. I'll ask her about it later."

A worry crossed Veronica's mind as she realized what it meant. "Wallace, you can't tell her the truth."

"Don't worry! I'm not gonna tell her that my friend is FBI!"

"Well, then, what are you going to tell her?" Veronica asked.

"The idea just came to me, I don't know," Wallace answered. Details of his high school days started to come back to him and he remembered that being Veronica's friend had always included a little lying. He and Tracy had a very open relationship and he didn't want to lie to her about this, but he knew it was the best thing for Veronica's safety. He thought that maybe it would be better if the dealer _was _Logan. No matter what the past few years had done to their relationship, Wallace truly believed that Logan was incapable of physically hurting Veronica. But if in fact Logan was innocent, it meant that someone else had a lot to lose if Veronica uncovered the truth, which meant she wasn't safe if her secret was let out.

"She knows about you," Wallace told her. "Not the FBI part, but that we were friends; that you were with Logan."

"We _are _friends," Veronica said softly. "And it's fine. Just tell her that I'm back in town and I really want to see Logan; that I've been wanting to see him for a while and I finally got the nerve to come here."

The look Wallace gave her showed Veronica it didn't sound very convincing. She tried harder, "Listen, Tracy, she's a typical female, right? In touch with her feelings?"

"I guess…" Wallace trailed, confused.

"So tell her I'm…" Veronica hesitated, surprised at how difficult it was to say. She was going to have to become more convincing by the time she met Tracy, which was probably going to happen very soon. "Tell her I'm in love and this is my last chance," she finished.

"So you want me to take advantage of my girlfriend's kindness and compassion," Wallace put it all into his own words.

Veronica frowned. "That's not what I meant. Just… do you have a better idea?"

"I'll think of something," Wallace answered.

"Wallace," Veronica protested.

"I said I'll think of something," Wallace repeated. "Look, my ice cream is done. You ready to head out?"

Veronica wasn't used to Wallace not wanting to discuss an argument, so it took her a moment to accept what had just happened. "I'm… done eating, if that's what you mean," Veronica said softly.

Wallace let out a sigh before opening up a little. "Veronica, I'm sorry, okay. I don't want to waste my first time seeing you in two years arguing. But I got a good thing going with Tracy. It's been a while since I did this detective stuff."

"Want a crash recover course?" Veronica offered with a smile. "There's a couple slices of pizza with your name on 'em!"

"I've got plans tonight with Tracy," Wallace told her.

"Oh, well, that's cool, too," Veronica replied. "I'm sure our next stop will give me loads to work on anyway!" It was partly sarcastic as she had absolutely no idea what was to be gained from a visit with Dick Casablancas other than a loss in her IQ.

"Tomorrow," Wallace offered. "I have pre-tryouts. A week of summer conditioning."

"AKA Camp Hell," Veronica joked, reminiscing about the commitment of high school sports.

"Yeah, I'ma get my team in shape," Wallace told her. "They'll be running the whole time, so why don't you come bring me some cookies. I know you're dyin' to bake me something!" he said with a grin.

Veronica laughed. "Okay. And what do I get in return for my offering?"

"Besides a little one on one time with Wallace Fennel?" Wallace commented. "I'll tell you when the party is."

"Awesome," Veronica said with a smile.

"So how 'bout we get outta here? For real, then we'll still have time to hit up your boy Dick before I gotta get back."

Veronica's good spirits faltered somewhat at the prospect of what lay ahead. "Do we have to?" she asked in a whiny voice.

"Or you could just tell your boss you were busy hanging with a superstar all day," Wallace joked.

The flash of Clarion's annoying scolding that entered Veronica's mind gave her the motivation to get up. "On second thought…" she said as she followed Wallace out the door.

* * *

**A/N**: thank you so much for reading! I love hearing your comments and feedback, and it really helps, too. I edited the last chapter (just a statistic about the square footage!) because of a comment that was completely right and now that blurb (in the magazine talking about Logan's house) doesn't sound so made up and is more in line with the facts from the show.

Okay, good news is I have already started the next chapter but even better news is I have a SUPER long flashback chapter already written and beta'd. Next up is Dick (as if you couldn't tell!) and I'm not sure how long till the flashback, but I can't wait to post it!!

Hope to be back soon! Doos


	5. Chapter 5: Mars Investigations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters! You may thank Rob Thomas

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Chapter 5: Mars Investigations 

"So this is really Dick's now?" Veronica asked. They were standing in front of what was apparently the fastest growing real estate company in the California area.

"Are you questioning my knowledge? I thought we already agreed I know everything."

"Sure," Veronica agreed with a sly smile, "everything _except _Logan's 411."

Wallace took the insult like any man with pride – defending himself with a foolproof excuse. "Hey, now, I can't help that I find no interest in his personal life. You're gonna have to find an obsessed fangirl to help you out there."

"Obsessed fangirl…" Veronica repeated, staring at the Casablancas name on the building. "Yep, we've come to the right place."

"I hope they're still good friends," Wallace commented. "There's a difference between party friend and your homeboy."

"He's gotta know something," Veronica said hopefully. "But I don't think running over a surfboard is gonna do it for me today. Do we have any collateral?"

"You could always intimidate him into submission with your…" Wallace tried before shaking his head, "Nah, you better just stick with threatening to uncover all his dirty business secrets. 'Cuz I am _not _buying that Surfer Boy earned his way to the head of this. Unless miracles really do happen."

"If he's as smart as the California School of Business would like me to believe, then he'll know it's best to tell me everything." Veronica was putting on a confident face, but a part of her did have some uncertainty about how this was going to play out. She couldn't just demand information about Logan. …Could she? Or would she have to use her 'regretful lover' story with Dick, too?

"You want me to go in there with you?" Wallace offered.

"Nah," Veronica replied, "I think I can handle Dick."

"It's Mr. Casablancas now," Wallace joked.

"I'll keep that in mind…," Veronica trailed as she climbed the steps.

* * *

Veronica walked inside hesitantly. _Am I really going to do this? _While her hunch about Wallace knowing the latest gossip had been right, there was one person he severely lacked information about. Going to Wallace was definitely a good start, but all he could tell her to help the case was that Dick was still a frequent guest to Logan's parties. Whether or not they were still best buds, Wallace didn't know, and that was what she needed to find out. _But do I want to give Logan the heads up that I'm in town?_ she asked herself. Then again, that was assuming he would care one way or another that she was in town. She realized that it bothered her, having no idea how Logan would react, if at all. On the one hand, he could argue with her and vent two years of anger at her. But it was just as likely that he really had moved on, as his lifestyle made it seem; that Veronica Mars was a distant memory to him and the Logan Echolls she'd once known was gone. Then again, if that was the case, it was possible he would acknowledge her but only as a past acquaintance… 

"Welcome! Can I help you?" a woman asked Veronica, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Veronica was caught off-guard at being addressed. She hadn't even walked up to a desk. _Do I have to pay just to stand here? _she thought with irritation that she quickly hid with a warm smile. "Oh, hi there! I just received my inheritance!" _Yeah, I could pass for 18_. "And Grandad says I should invest. Well, I'm clueless anyway, but this nerd in my Econ class told me I had to put it here."

"Casablancas Incorporated is a very successful and safe business choice!" the woman agreed.

"So, like, do I buy stock? Or land? I'm actually really confused about all of this. A million dollars is a lot to just, get rid of." _That oughta capture the right kind of attention!_ "Do you think I could talk to Mr. Casablancas? I'm sure he'd help me feel better about the whole thing."

"Mr. Casablancas does take a personal interest in all of his buyers," the woman agreed. _You sure it's not just the female ones? _Veronica thought with an inner smirk. "Which is why he has hired the very best people to serve his customers," she finished.

_Smooth, _Veronica thought. _But I still want to talk to Dick and not some lackey who's probably never even met the guy. _"I'm glad to hear that," Veronica commented. "But if I can't talk to Mr. Casablancas personally, I just don't think I can do this. I'm sure my Grandad will understand," she finished before turning around. When her back was turned and she was slowly walking away, she did an inner countdown. _5…4…3…_

"Wait! Miss!" the woman said, calling Veronica back.

Veronica removed the smirk from her face before turning around with a blank expression. "Yeah?"

"Mr. Casablancas is in a meeting right now, but maybe if I were to get your name and contact information he could speak with you later concerning your investment."

Veronica quickly hid her disappointment as she tried to think of what to do next. _He's not going to meet with me if I give her my real name. _Not to mention, it would ruin the element of surprise. Veronica considered for a moment. _What would a spoiled trust fund brat do?_

Veronica put one hand on her hip and frowned. "Well, I didn't realize I would have to set up an appointment. I know he parties or whatever, but I thought 5 minutes wouldn't be too much to ask for."

The woman shook her head, "Oh, no, it's no trouble at all! It's just that-"

"Right," Veronica interrupted. "The meeting." She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Just like Grandad. Always in meetings. Well, it's been real but I have enough appointments between piano lessons, my tutor, and getting my nails done. I hope the next time someone has a million dollars he's not in a 'meeting'."

"Let me see if I can get him, Miss…?" the woman tried for her name again.

"Jacobs," Veronica answered immediately, taking the last name of Wallace's new girlfriend. "Veronica Jacobs."

The woman smiled, "Good to meet you, Miss Jacobs. I'll see if Mr. Casablancas can leave his meeting for a few minutes. Just one moment while I go talk to him."

Veronica smiled appreciatively. _Finally!_

* * *

Veronica was struck with a twinge of jealousy as her eyes roamed his office. It was certainly much more spacious than her own. She'd take it in heartbeat, even with the silly model pictures on the wall. Then Veronica realized they weren't just posters; they were signed photos of various models with Dick. Most of them were marked lovingly with a 'yours truly.' _Aww…_, Veronica mocked to herself, _I bet that's what they tell every guy who wants to get into their pants!_

The office door swung open as a familiar voice interrupted the silence. "So Becky tells me you're having some investment insecurity. Have you read the latest issue of _Fortune_, Ms. Jacobs?" Veronica's back was facing him, but she could tell that he'd finally looked up to see who this new investor was. He must have approved, since his next comment was a shameless attempt at flirting. "Cuz, you know, I _am_ on the cover."

It seemed he was expecting some sort of impressed remark, but as Veronica remained silent with her back still facing him, he decided to drop that approach, clearing his throat before continuing in a more serious manner. "Of course, the article was all about Casablancas Incorporated. We're the fastest growing real estate company in the California area. My guys in the numbers department, statistics and predictions, that sort of thing; they've estimated that a dollar invested in my company today will produce 3 dollars of profit by the year 2015." He paused, clearly waiting for her to say something. "I'm sorry, Ms. Jacobs. Veronica, was it? I never make a business deal without a good handshake, so-"

Veronica finally turned around and flashed him a smile. "Well, you've convinced me! So, a handshake is all I need to seal the deal? Cuz, I've gotta tell you, my Grandad always insisted on a mean handshake! You better brace yourself."

His face was priceless as she watched the expression change from surprise to annoyance. "Veronica Mars," he said disdainfully with a meek nod.

"Aren't you gonna shake my hand?" Veronica asked, dripping with cheerful sarcasm.

Dick returned the overly false sentiment with a fast nod. After a pause, he told her more seriously, "You can cut the cute act."

"I'm sorry, should I take my business elsewhere?" Veronica motioned dramatically to the door. "What company did Fortune 500 say was the _next _fastest growing one?" she continued to bait him.

"Forgive me for being a little skeptical about the likelihood of you suddenly inheriting a million dollars from… your Grandad, was it? So which side of the family has been hiding all the wealth, Roni? Daddy the cop? Or was it mommy, the alchie?

Veronica frowned. "Actually, it was Freddy, the milkman," she remarked dryly.

"All right, maybe that was rude," Dick attempted to smooth things over a bit. "But see, I was a little caught off-guard after being _tricked _into cutting my meeting short. You know, where I was talking to _real _people, with _real _money."

"I just have a few questions," Veronica told him more seriously.

Dick feigned being hurt, "So you didn't come just to see me? I thought we were friends, Roni!"

"It'll only take a minute," Veronica continued, ignoring the comment.

Dick rolled his eyes once and then looked at his watch. "Fine. But if this has anything to do with Logan, you may as well not even bother."

Veronica couldn't hide her surprise at the abrupt way Logan's name had come into the conversation. _Am I _that _obvious? Does he know something's up?_

She tried to play it cool, pretending that Dick was her prime target instead of Logan. "Actually, it concerns you and your company. But since you brought him up-"

"Wait, what about my company?" Dick asked, suddenly worried.

"No, I wanna know why you said that about Logan. Is something going on? You two are still friends, right?"

Dick shrugged, "Sure."

Veronica tilted her head before continuing, "Sure? So what, you're just, party buds now?"

"What do you care? Last I heard, you went into the witness protection program to get away from him. Was breaking up really that hard?"

Veronica frowned. "You know, my confidence in you as the head of a company isn't getting any better! You could at least get the facts right."

"Fine, I'm really not interested in hearing your side of things, anyway. I never knew what he saw in you, but I still think you're a bitch for kicking him to the curb like that. Dude was like, comatose over you," Dick told her.

Veronica tried not to think too much about what he was telling her. But the comment shook her enough that she needed a moment to compose herself before being able to question him further.

Since Veronica was silent, Dick continued, "Then again, maybe you did him a favor. He was always a little clingy back then, know what I mean?"

Veronica frowned as her anger at being blamed got the better of her. "I didn't 'kick him to the curb'! And as I recall, he was pretty _distant_ and wanting his 'man time'. Unless, of course, we were making out."

Dick stopped her before she could say more. "Look, I'll admit, I don't know what happened with the two of you then, and I can't say I care. But at least now you can know that you made Logan the pimp he is today!" Dick actually seemed happy with this development on things, while Veronica on the other hand was slightly disgusted. _How exactly am I responsible for him 'getting' around?_ As she considered whether to argue or laugh, Dick continued, "Think about it, V. If he'd never fallen for you, he wouldn't have made that sobfest about you. I mean, personally, I thought it was totally boring. But I guess it's all _emotional_, like some really good chick flick."

Veronica frowned. Though she hadn't seen the film, it was hardly 'chick-flick' material. "It's called Drama," she corrected him. "Not really a people person, are you Dick? See Logan, he deals with people! And you, well, you deal with dirt. And mud, probably."

"It's called real estate," he came back at her. "Aka, monetary assets. Duh. Weren't you forced to take an Econ course or something to graduate? Or did you drop out after we parted ways?"

Veronica rolled her eyes, suddenly remembering why it was that her questioning sessions with Dick were always the ones she _least _looked forward to. She didn't have the patience to continue with this, and besides that, she felt as though she'd already gotten the information she needed. Clearly, they were still very close, otherwise, Dick wouldn't have immediately tried to look out for his friend. They must have still been BFFs, having each other's backs and all.

"Some potentially illegal business dealings may have happened recently at Logan's parties," Veronica told him, careful of her wording. "There might be a connection to your company, since according to public information, you've attended every one of these parties."

"My business is all legit!" Dick defended himself and his company. "The Fortune 500 Company never would've featured us-"

"So you agree that you've attended all of the parties?" Veronica asked.

Dick gave her a confused look and then answered, "Yeah, I've gone to all the raves. So what? So have a lot of other highly influential people. You've got the wrong guy."

Veronica considered for a moment before continuing, "I may be able to cut you a deal."

Dick's eyes widened, "Am I seriously under investigation? Because I have a lawyer."

"Dick, you know I would never go after the wrong person," Veronica told him. "Remember how I helped you and your buddies out at Hearst?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, clearly not wanting to reminisce about the time his fraternity had been accused of rape. Veronica had been critical in clearing their name and finding the real guilty party.

Veronica continued to explain. "A crime may or may not have happened. This is all still in the beginning stages. But I'll need your help to find the person responsible. It's a fact that some illegal real estate business has been happening. And it's looking like Logan's parties are where I need to start. So I need you to compile a list for me."

"Of what?…"

"I need to know the names of the other usual attendees," Veronica told him.

"And then I'm cleared?" Dick asked.

"And then I find out the truth," Veronica answered. "And if you're not willing to help me out, that kind of says something about your own innocence." _Or not._

"Fine! I've got nothing to hide. I'll cooperate. But this is just business, you got that? You and I…" He motioned between the two of them before finishing, "We're not friends."

"That hurts, Dick. Really, it does," Veronica sarcastically remarked with a dramatic gesture toward her heart.

"What do you need?" he grudgingly asked.

"The names. And by the time of Logan's next big rave. Which is…?"

Dick's face became a picture of disbelief"You're gonna crash his party?"

"I wouldn't be crashing if you put me on the list!" Veronica said with a smile. "But you won't have to worry about that. I'll already be on the list."

Dick eyed her questioningly but didn't say anything.

"But when you see me there, you'd better not mention any of this _or _make me feel… unwelcome."

Dick rolled his eyes as he considered.

"…Dick?" Veronica pressed.

"All right! You'll have the names. Tonight. Right now, I have a meeting to catch up on. Thanks again for taking me away from that."

"Oh, but it was all worth it to see me, right?" Veronica remarked. "Just don't forget the names. Because if you do…" she said in a sugary sweet voice, "I'll be back!"

* * *

Veronica couldn't help feeling happy as she walked the steps to her house. By the time she went to bed that night, she would have a list of potential suspects – or witnesses – for her case. Not a bad start for a first day on the case! 

Her good mood only increased as she approached the door and noticed that the light was on. _Looks like someone's home now!_

Veronica considered knocking before she changed her mind and tried the door. She found it was unlocked and helped herself inside.

The first thing that met her eyes was the sight of her father staring at her from behind the counter. The happiness that lit his face was shown in more than just his smile; he was glowing and he had a look in his eyes that brought a matching look into Veronica's.

"I'm home," she said in a soft, high-pitched voice before meeting him halfway for a warm hug.

"Oh!" he exclaimed as his arms were wrapped around her. "I've missed you so much," he told her in between kisses planted to the top of her head.

"I've missed you, too, Dad," Veronica replied as she held onto him.

* * *

"I had a feeling something was going on when I came home to find your door open and a suitcase," her father told her after they'd settled down. 

"See, now _that's _the reason why you're sheriff - those brilliant detective skills of yours. I knew I couldn't put anything past you!" Veronica joked.

The pair were enjoying her father's latest cooking masterpiece - hot dogs. "And your skills in the kitchen have _vastly_ improved," Veronica remarked with a sarcastic smile before taking another bite.

"Oh, you like that?" her father played along. "I call it, pig a la mustard." He made a dramatic gesture of pinching the air once as he finished.

Veronica gave her father an odd look before shaking her head and laughing inwardly.

"So I noticed your offering," he commented, motioning toward the fridge. "She comes bearing gifts… very wise, Veronica. And what smart, charismatic guy taught you that?"

Veronica couldn't help smiling. "If you walk to that mirror over there, you just might catch him!"

"Aha, I see you haven't forgotten your incredibly tasteful roots." His face became a little more serious as he continued, "So tell me… who's your daddy?"

Veronica punched him lightly on the back. "I hate it when you do that!"

He smiled innocently. "But _I_ don't!"

Veronica rolled her eyes but didn't comment further.

"So are you gonna tell me what you're doing here?" he asked suddenly. "Or do we have to play 20 questions?"

Veronica gulped her last bite loudly before considering. "You know, I've always much preferred games-"

"Five questions each," her father set the rules. "I don't think I can handle any more than that."

Veronica nodded. "Okay, that sounds fair. Me first?" she tried.

"Are you working on a case right now?" he asked her, simultaneously giving her her answer.

Veronica hesitated, uncertain of what to say. She wasn't supposed to disclose any details about the case, but then again she didn't want to outright lie to her father. Finally she offered a simple, "Yes." Then she quickly changed the focus onto him. "Okay, my turn. Are you currently involved with someone?"

"Are you?"

"Hey now, that's not how we play 20 – _5_ questions!" Veronica reminded him.

"Yes," he quickly answered. "Are you?"

Veronica wanted a moment to focus more on her father's news. From their recent phone calls, she'd had a feeling he was seeing someone, but he'd never come right out and said it. If he was willing to admit to it now, it might mean there was a serious development with his mystery woman.

"Are you?" her father repeated, reminding her that it was his turn.

Veronica wasn't avoiding answering on purpose. The truth was, she didn't know _how _to answer it. Immediately, Travis popped into her mind, but she wasn't quite sure what to label him. 'Boyfriend' certainly didn't seem right, but then again, 'work associate' seemed far too impersonal for their… 'thing'.

"More or less," Veronica answered finally. "With the emphasis on the less," she added.

"Meaning…?" her father gestured for her to continue.

"Meaning… I don't know. I haven't even told him I'm in Neptune yet, if that says anything."

"Are we talking about a certain Hollywood movie maker?"

Veronica immediately denied that assumption. "No! This is _so _not about Logan. I mean, the guy I'm… Never mind, we are totally cheating with this game! Yes or no answers only. And that's 2 down for you and now it's my turn again." After a quick pause, she asked, "Is it serious?"

Her father's hesitation didn't make Veronica feel any better about the possible answer. "I don't know," he told her. "Maybe."

"Yes or no," Veronica reminded him.

"More or less," he answered, taking her words. "With the emphasis on the more."

Before Veronica could react, he asked her another question. "Are you here because of Logan?"

"It's not like that-" Veronica began.

"Yes or no," he again took her words.

"…Yes," Veronica admitted. "Do you love her?"

When he didn't answer immediately, Veronica continued with another question. "Does she love you?"

"I can't answer that," he told her after hesitating. "Wouldn't you much rather find out if her favorite color is pink?"

Veronica frowned but understood that it wasn't so easy to define matters of the heart. "Fine," she conceded to the question, folding her arms across her chest in obvious irritation. "What does she do for a living?"

"Yes or no questions," her father reminded her.

"Does she have a _job_?" Veronica immediately amended.

"Yes. Is your case dangerous?" her father asked.

"Potentially, yes," Veronica told him, "But not at the moment." She decided not to waste her last two questions on pointless attempts at guessing the identity of his girlfriend. Nothing less than her full name, address, and personal record would do anyway, so instead Veronica took the opportunity to ask the sheriff of Neptune about her case. "Do you currently have a case against Logan?"

"No," her father answered, although by the look in his eyes it appeared Logan wasn't completely free from suspicion.

"Is your favorite color pink?"

Veronica couldn't help letting go of her annoyance and tension as she heard his question. "You're really gonna waste your last question on _that_?" she asked him with a half smile.

"Yes, and now that you've wasted _your _last question-"

"Hey, wait! Who said that was my last question?" Veronica protested.

Her father shrugged innocently. "Sorry, honey. You can't beat the master!"

Veronica tried to frown but her lips curved upward at the ends anyway. "Fine, I guess I need to go and hone my interrogation skills before I continue further with my case." With that, she turned around, heading toward her door.

"For the record," she called back to the living room before entering her room, "Pink is _still _not my favorite color."

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**A/N:** thank you so much for reading! Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. I am not sure exactly when Logan will enter this fic, but he will enter in a long flashback before he does in the flesh! (which will be coming very soon...) 


	6. Chapter 6: Lights Camera Action

**DISCLAIMER: **if you recognize them, I don't own them and you may thank the crazy mind of Rob Thomas

**a/n**: so there's some flashbacks here, I tried to make it obvious at what point in time what was happening. Different in writing, we don't get the sepia coloring to make it obvious! So hopefully you won't be confused...**

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**Chapter 6: Lights, Camera, Action**

Veronica wished the knot in her stomach would go away. Or maybe the lump in her throat or the tingling crawling along her spine could disappear. _I never feel like this on a case. It's gotta be the dress. _That would at least explain the knot in her stomach. Tracy and her stylist Rod had insisted on one that 'hugged her in all the right places'. Standing here now, Veronica thought 'strangled' was a more appropriate description.

"Yes, thank you," she told the waiter, simultaneously grabbing a drink off his tray. The words slipped out before he'd even had the chance to offer.

"…Veronica!" the bronzed starlet said quietly out of surprise. "I know you're nervous, but…" After a bit more thought, she changed her mind. "Oh, what the hell, it _is _a party." With that, she grabbed one as well.

Veronica nodded as she took a large sip of hers. "Just blending," she said casually with a nod as she motioned toward all the other guests, all of them holding crystal glasses of champagne.

"Are you _still _worried about fitting in?" Tracy asked. "Trust me, girl. After the session with Rod, you look better than the _frequent _red carpets."

Veronica still had a headache from the impromptu glamour appointment. She had already been concerned about meeting her deadline with Clarion's tight ass, so an unexpected 5 hour 'beautify' session hadn't exactly helped to calm or prepare her. She'd barely managed to finish her status report in time, and it was nowhere near her greatest work. _Hopefully, when he calls to _bug _me tomorrow, I can tell him how tonight made it worth the wait._

"I can't tell you enough how sweet it is that you're coming here for charity," Tracy told her for the fifth time.

Veronica smiled but inside she was wincing. She wasn't quite sure where Wallace drew the line, but it didn't seem to her that a story about charity was any better than a lie about a former lover. In fact, she thought, it might be worse. _But at least it'll give me the chance to talk to all my potential informants_. To be fair, she had never acknowledged it. When Wallace had explained that Veronica was there on an important mission that would help a lot of people, Tracy, being the innocent girl she was, just assumed that it was for charity.

"About that-" Veronica began, about to rectify the situation. While Wallace didn't want to be the one to tell her, Veronica held no qualms about sticking to her much more realistic regretful lover tale.

"Oh, shh!" Tracy cut her off immediately. "I think we've found your first victim!"

As Veronica eyed the man approaching, a smirk came across her face. _Couldn't have said it better myself, Tracy_.

"Hi, Mr …Donovan?" Tracy recalled correctly as she addressed the man.

"Tracy Jacobs!" the man greeted excitedly. "You wouldn't by any chance be trying to butter me up for a role, now would you? And please, call me Phillip." Veronica took note of the way he suggestively wiggled his brow before finishing. She could tell that that particular brow must have once been black, but it was now more of a gray color spotted with random traces of its former color. Judging by his age, mannerisms, and statement, he had to be some sort of director, maybe involved in casting. He certainly didn't have the face of an A-list celebrity.

But according to the information she'd had to pry out of Dick, 'Phillip Donovan' was one of the regulars at Logan's parties. Veronica remembered her first reaction at seeing his age; he wasn't the type of guy Logan would be 'pals' with. That left one question her research couldn't help her with – why was he attending all these parties, and furthermore, why was he a 'priority' guest?

While Veronica was quickly recalling everything she could to use against him, Tracy was in the middle of trying to repel Donovan's outdated charm. "I've already got a role all lined up, Phillip," she rejected politely. "I actually wanted to introduce you to my friend, Veronica."

"Hello, Veronica! Pleased to meet you," he said, extending a hand in hopes of holding hers.

Veronica politely offered hers and kept her full smile even as he kissed her hand in a show of chivalry. According to what Dick had told her, he was nowhere near 'gentleman' material.

-------FLASHBACK--------------------------

"_What the hell Veronica, I gave you what you wanted! Don't you have some lives to ruin or something?"_

Veronica paused for a moment before saying sweetly, "Dick… You were late with that information. So let's call this my version of collecting with interest." She tried not to laugh as she pictured his face on the other end of the phone at that moment.

Actually, she didn't have to picture it. She was parked just outside his high-end apartment, the one that conveniently featured a large balcony. He was sitting lazily outside, enjoying the sunset. _It must be real hard being a CEO these days_, Veronica thought to herself sarcastically.

"_What's that Roni? Gee, something must be wrong with the connection, cuz I can't hear you. Roni?"_ This time, she faintly heard her nickname twice, through the phone and also from where he was on the balcony.

"Nice try, big shot, but you aren't getting rid of me that easily. Let me guess. You're outside on your balcony, kicking it back and enjoying what little daylight remains and you think you can trick me into believing your signal cut off."

Dick's confused face was out of eyesight for the moment, so she used her binoculars to get a better view and some a good laugh. "I'm out front, Sherlock."

Dick's figure leaned over the balcony as he scanned the area for her. _"You really are a freak," _he said coldly. _" Isn't this how your relationship with Duncan went? You're not into me, are you, Roni? Not that I'd blame you, but being stalked is a bit of a turn-off."_

"Gee, and here I thought you just wanted some extra attention," she said as dryly as possible.

"_What do you want?" _he asked, sounding annoyed.

_Bored already? _Veronica thought to herself. "What do you know about Donovan?" she asked him. "Are you… acquaintances?"

"_So now you're into _him_?" _Dick asked sarcastically.

"Just answer the question."

"_No," _Dick flatly refused. _"I answer this, then you'll have another. And then another. I gave you what you asked for, and now I'm done."_

Veronica was caught with surprise by his refusal. She hadn't been expecting him to spoon-feed her anything, but he was usually a bit more cooperative after a nudge or two. Maybe she hadn't tried hard enough. "Dick, I know that I asked for names only, and I found everything else on my own. But this guy, Donovan… he isn't exactly a tabloid regular. He's the only one I need more information on." After a silent pause that showed he still wasn't budging, she tried more of the usual. "Considering what's at stake, it's not an unreasonable request. But your blatant refusal to cooperate might appear differently. In court, that is. Thanks anyway, Dick, I guess I'll have to get a warrant and ask you about this at the station. See you tomorrow morning. Or should I read you your rights now?"

"_Wait," _Dick said. _"No need to meet the parents. I don't think our relationship is ready for that."_

"So…" Veronica trailed, not amused in the slightest. "You've got 5 seconds before I call the sheriff. He _does _happen to be on my speed-dial."

"_Donovan," _Dick started, _"he bought some land from me a while back." _After a pause, he offered, _"But that's as far as we go. I'd never… 'hang' with that wannabe."_

"What do you mean, 'wannabe'?" Veronica asked. "I thought he went to all the parties?"

"_Yeah? And apparently you're going to the next one. It's not like we have to like you for you to get in."_

"So you're telling me he's running an investigation, too?" Veronica smartly replied.

"_He's a director. Nowhere near as good as Logan, but he's got connections. I don't ask questions, but he's running something else, I'm sure of it."_

"Why do you say that?" Veronica asked.

"_Why else would any young, attractive female pick him over me to end the night with?"_

Veronica laughed inwardly. Suddenly, it all made sense why Dick was so quick to not want anything to do with Donovan. There was nothing quite like a man's ego. "Oh, of course," Veronica mock agreed. "But you're gonna need to give me a little more than that. Does he have any patterns? A type, maybe?"

"_Young, blonde, and stupid. Now that I think of it you two would really hit it off."_

"Okay, and I take it he disappears every night at around the same time with the bimbo of the night?"

"_Unlike you, Roni, I _don't _stalk people._ _I'm not watching his every move. I go there to have fun."_

"And leave empty-handed," Veronica reminded him.

-------------------END FLASHBACK----------------

Dick may have actually had a valid point amidst his jealous ramblings. While it was only slightly suspicious that the man managed to get into every young Hollywood party, it was far more suspicious that he was off the radar for a long period of time. Given his age, he'd stick out like a sore thumb, so even someone as dimwitted as Dick would still have a high chance of noticing his presence, 'stalking' or not.

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine!" Veronica insisted, resisting the urge to snatch her hand back that he held a little too delicately for a little too long.

His eyes may have appeared charming to others, but Veronica felt she was standing face-to-face with Neptune's version of a Hollywood pervert. The man eerily reminded her of the late Aaron Echolls, minus the aging well. That thought only added to her overall feeling of disgust. At least she could check off the creepiest on the list first.

"So, Phillip," Veronica said after she had her hand back. "I hear you're quite the director."

"Oh, yes! I have lots of blockbusters coming up, too. There's this one…" Veronica let his voice drone on. She'd perfected the art of pretending and was careful to nod and give an extra grin at all the right places. As he went on, she had her own story spinning in her mind. She just needed a little more information.

"You know, that's great, Phillip. But I'm actually here on other business. A girlfriend told me that you have access to the VIP room here. I mean, I know that _I'm _nobody special, but I thought maybe if you could put a good word in to… well I guess I don't know who's good side I need to get on…"

"Oh, you don't want to go _there_," Phillip told her. "But there is… another room I'd like to take you to."

_Okay! This show is over! _"Well, maybe later, Phillip. But for now, I think I think I'll go find my friend Tracy before she starts to worry. She really hates it when I make her go to these things!"

He muttered some sort of polite and disappointed good-bye but Veronica was too preoccupied trying to ignore the creepies that followed her tight dress as his eyes ogled them on her march away. She managed to hold the smile until she was far enough away to target her next victim.

* * *

Two hours later, Veronica was feeling quite tired and was more than ready to leave. Some of the party guests were starting to disappear to the VIP room while others were calling it a night. The shrinking crowd would only make her more noticeable, and while she highly doubted he was still wandering around the main floor, she really didn't want to run into Logan tonight. 

Donovan had been a waste, but all the other suspect/witnesses on her list had managed to give her a little something, and without making her feel so objectified. Although she now had to meet someone for coffee tomorrow, one of the suspects she didn't need to question any further. Attractive or not, mixing business and pleasure never ended well…

Veronica searched the crowd for Tracy, not wanting to leave without saying goodbye. After a few unsuccessful rounds, Veronica decided she must have gone home without her and turned toward the gates to leave.

"Finally leaving, Mars?" a male voice called her attention.

Veronica spun around to find herself staring face-to-face with an inebriated Dick.

"Don't tell me even Donovan rejected you," he said rudely through his smirk, eyes feigning concern.

Veronica folded her arms and frowned. "I told you, I'm not here for the company. Thank God," she muttered, motioning toward him before turning around again.

A strong hand on her shoulder held her in place so that she couldn't leave. "Not so fast, Veronica. You haven't questioned me. Aren't I on your list?"

"Let me go, _now, _Dick. I won't ask again," she told him, careful not to make this a scene. The goal was to leave unnoticed, not draw as much attention as possible!

"Casablancas!" another man called to Dick, approaching at a casual jog. Veronica was grateful to see that it was Peter Jacobs, Logan's sidekick who apparently had never seen a picture of 'Veronica Mars' given that he didn't recognize her when she'd spoken with him earlier.

"Petey," Dick greeted like he was still a frat boy, moving his hand from Veronica's shoulder to meet Peter's for a bro-handshake. Veronica felt a whirl of relief race through her and made sure to take a couple steps back while neither of them noticed.

In fact, as she realized their attention was momentarily taken, she turned again, hoping to slip away unnoticed.

"Just didn't want our good friend Veronica to leave empty-handed," Dick said loud enough so she could hear. Clearly, he'd meant for the insult to sting. That, and he was apparently too unoriginal to come up with something new.

---------FLASHBACK-----------------

"_Speaking of leaving empty-handed…" _Dick trailed vaguely.

"Am I going deaf or have you actually lost the ability to speak in full sentences? Striking example for your company, _Dick_. Maybe I should really be investigating how you swindled your way into getting your degree."

She could tell in the heavy silence that he was working hard to hold his tongue. Finally, he spoke more of an order than a remark, _"Go ahead and stalk Donovan all night. Cuz' no matter what, you're not coming home with Logan."_

There it was again. That anger burning through her that was usually hiding beneath her smile and the passage of time. Taking the blame for their failed relationship was something that she'd long tried to move past, and yet nothing she did seemed to make it go away entirely.

"This is _not _about, Logan. And that was years ago, Dick. We've both moved on," she insisted. In fact, he had even before that day. "So why don't you?" With that she hung up the phone and sped away in a fury.

She was furious as she drove home, knowing that once again she'd let Dick Casablancas get the better of her. It wasn't like he even meant anything he said. He just liked to rile and upset her. He was still the preppy bully from high school, hiding behind his parents' money and reputation so he could hurt whoever he wanted to make his own miserable existence feel less pathetic.

Normally, his words were meaningless to her, quickly brushed off by her own comment. But something about the continued mention of Logan… It was as though everyone around her thought they knew better, like she was incapable of seeing him again without all the feelings coming back. _Well, too bad for them, there's nothing there._

----------------------------

The drive home from her less than informative meeting outside Dick's balcony was silent, as was her entrance into her own home. Thankfully, her father was either tied up at the station or off enjoying his mystery woman. Either way, he wasn't home and so she didn't have to face him feeling like this. He always knew when something wasn't right, and she didn't feel like talking about it tonight.

Veronica stared at her computer, considering adding what little information she'd just found to her case file, before she decided against it. Frankly, she didn't feel like it. All she wanted to do was sleep.

She laid down, trying to push all thoughts of the case, her past, and her emotions to a far corner of her mind. Something Wallace had told her just wouldn't leave her mind, and she had the most trouble pushing that comment away. _"I don't know what went down between the two of you."_

A single tear slid down Veronica's cheek as she remembered what she didn't want to. _Neither do I, _was the last coherent thought that came to her before she finally caved in to her body's exhaustion and fell asleep.

* * *

**a/n: **thanks so much for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts! Next chapter is a biggie so prepare yourself... 


	7. Chapter 7: The End of Epic LoVe

**DISCLAIMER: **still don't own the lovelies from Rob Thomas, and there's only one Original Character in here, so give him the credit please! I'm not makin any money!

**a/n**: okay, this is it. my big Logan and Veronica breakup. The entire chapter is a long flashback of the last time Veronica saw Logan. Hopefully will explain some hard feelings and all the tension that's still there! And you may hate me after this, let me know, I can take it so long as its not a straight up flame.

**a/n2:** I uploaded 2 chapters at a time this time, so make sure you've read ch 6 - lights camera action before this one! thanks!

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* * *

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Chapter 7: The End of Epic Love 

--------**FLASHBACK**

Veronica struggled to breathe, fighting against the chokehold he had her trapped in. Her feet dangled helplessly as he lifted her so that he could stare his cold eyes directly into hers. "Listen to me, you nosy little bitch…"

She couldn't make out what he was saying as her senses started to fade. The longer he had her windpipe pinched tightly, the closer she came to passing out. Sometime during her period lacking oxygen, he must have slipped the ropes over her wrists, because she didn't know they were there until she tried to move her hand to her bruised throat.

The rest of the world slowly came back to her with the seconds passing. She knew she'd barely escaped fainting.

"…all figured out." His twisted smile was the first sight that she took in with her returned vision. "But he was wrong. Guess that daddy of yours isn't so smart after all. Hahaha. Too bad he's not the sheriff. Life would probably be funner."

Normally, Veronica would come up with a snarky comment, point out the man's flawed logic and remind him that he was messing with the wrong person. Fill him in on the little detail that friendly backup was only a moment away and that he'd better carefully consider his quickly decreasing options.

But this wasn't just any situation. She wasn't the old Veronica. This was the newly improved independent Veronica who didn't need a cavalry to bring the bad boys in. She trembled as regret flooded her consciousness; what she should have done differently, the last words she'd said to her father, the confidence that she'd allowed to become a hindrance. With each tear sliding down her face came another mistake that would soon become fatal.

"That's right!" he continued to taunt her, stretching out a finger to catch her tears. His stare hardened as he finished, "Cry for me."

Veronica grit her teeth to keep from screaming profanities at him and jerked her face away, rejecting his sickening touch. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

It only amused him further. "Just like your mother. A fighter to the end." The look his eyes held now showed her that she was living her last moments. He was already bored and she had no one to stall for.

Accepting what was next as best she could, Veronica forced herself to speak to him. She had to know, no matter how much the answer could hurt her. "Where is she?"

After he didn't answer, she demanded, "Tell me where she is!"

"You're about to find out," he answered, reaching in his jacket for a knife.

The next moment was a blur, everything happening too fast for her to catch each detail, and in her limited position, she couldn't move to get a better view of what was going on. One thing was for certain – someone had barged into the room and Diggs clearly hadn't been expecting any company.

When she realized it was only one person, Veronica's hopes that somehow the police had been tipped off died. She fought her body's weariness and helped however she could, which specifically involved tripping Diggs while his sight was distracted.

Veronica watched the newcomer tackle Diggs between the jaded darkness of the room. In their struggle, her heart nearly froze as recognition came to her.

"Logan, he has a knife! He has a knife!" she shouted in returning panic.

Logan didn't need to hear it a third time; a sharp pain coming from his ankle told him that he'd been stabbed. He quickly crunched the man's hand with his other foot and tried to kick the knife toward Veronica.

Veronica stretched her foot, straining to get to it. But like she'd always joked about in life, she was just a bit too short.

"You want this?" Diggs asked her as he grabbed hold of it again. Veronica saw Logan slumped against the wall behind Diggs, eyes closed. _He must have been knocked out while I was distracted. _Her heart wrenched as she took in the semi-blocked sight of his bent form.

"Then I'll give it to you!"

Veronica couldn't stop herself from calling out in pain as it pierced through her leg, bringing a smile back onto his face. "Now," he continued, "which little piggy should we say goodbye to first?"

Veronica's eyes widened as his body was slammed right through the wooden wall. She shut them immediately when pieces of splintered wood fell to the floor and a gust of the cold wind struck her through the gaping hole his body had just created.

A quiet thud sounding from 8 stories below made her open her eyes again. Logan's panting slowly died down and he approached her from the newly made window, crouching down to give her a studying stare. "Veronica," he choked out, tears forming in his eyes as he realized how close he'd come to losing her forever. "Are you okay?"

Veronica's eyes spilled over with tears before she slowly shook her head.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," he promised, "I'm gonna get you help." He fumbled in his pockets for a phone before realizing it must have fallen during their struggle. As his eyes scanned the room for it, the sparse light coming into the room from the stars outside reflected broken streaks in between the blood staining the knife. He picked it up immediately and carefully cut the rope that was binding Veronica's wrists.

As soon as her arms were free, she wrapped them around him and buried her head into his chest. The knife fell with a soft clatter and it was only a moment before he returned the embrace and held her while she sobbed into him.

"I thought you were dead," she cried out while clinging to his touch.

"I'm not," he reassured her, tightening his embrace. "I'm right here," he told her before gently kissing the top of her head.

* * *

"Veronica, you're gonna be okay!" he reassured her for the fifth time. 

She turned her head slowly and went through the motions of waking up. _I must have passed out in his arms._ "Where's Logan?" she asked.

"He's gonna be fine, sweetie. He's right behind us on the other ambulance."

As her attention to detail came back to her, Veronica noticed the tears staining his face. With what little energy she had left, she reached out and slipped her hand into his and offered a smile. "I'm all right, Dad. Logan-"

"We'll talk about this later, I promise. But right now, I want you to rest. We're almost there."

Veronica knew she should rest. But a flashback of the ordeal she'd just gone through sent a worry back into her heart. "Mom-"

"Your mother's fine, Veronica. She was working with the FBI the whole time. They came in as soon as he took off."

"And they didn't know he was coming for me?"

"Veronica," he breathed before a pause. "Please just focus on recovering. I have to talk to the sheriff to find out more about the situation."

Veronica finally accepted that she and the people she loved were safe and allowed herself to rest.

* * *

"Veronica!" a quiet, but persistent whisper entered her ear again. This time, it worked and she stirred slowly before opening her eyes. 

His smile widened with her eyes as she realized who it was. The smile slipped as she saw the state he was in, and she predictably proceeded to scold him for leaving his hospital bed. "Logan! What are you doing? You can't move around with your stitches!"

"I had to see you," he told her honestly.

She couldn't help smiling at his words. For a moment, the two just stared into the other's eyes in peaceful happiness. Veronica had to be the one to break the silence as she joked to him in a mocking, rough man's voice, "So now you'll have this battle scar to show off, right?"

"I'd rather show you something else," he told her with a sly grin.

Veronica returned his grin as she replied, "Why don't you show me your detective skills instead." After a pause, she continued, "Seriously, my dad has sworn to tell me nothing until I'm out of here and I still have no idea how you found me but the FBI couldn't."

"Wait, you're questioning my abilities?" he joked. "Didn't you know? I learned it all from this girl I used to date."

She couldn't help taking the bait, "Anyone I know?"

"She's this short, blonde girl with the bite of a pit bull."

"You make me sound wonderful. Really, I'm flattered."

"Who said anything about you?" he continued to tease her.

"Seeing someone behind my back?" The comment was meant to bring a smile to his face and continue their playful bantering. Instead, his initial response was seen through his eyes. The brown pools were flooded with a sadness and longing that she didn't understand right away. Until he reminded her that he was still vulnerable.

"Last I checked, we weren't together," he said softly, returning the rest of the world to their conversation.

Veronica paused, resisting the urge to bite her lip in a small display of guilt. "But you still came to save the day. Don't you want to gloat?" she tried to keep the conversation playful but still find some answers.

After a pause, he gave in and told her a few details. "When you weren't answering my calls, I decided to follow you."

The knowledge of his invasion of her privacy immediately sent a fury through her, but his concern made her let it go as she realized he was only trying to help. _And he did. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his… prying._

"Just for a little while, to make sure everything was okay. I was gonna take off, I had something to do anyway, but then I heard you lie to that guy you're seeing."

"Piz," Veronica reminded him, remembering the phone call as well. _I had the sneaking suspicion that someone was watching me then. I guess it wasn't Diggs._

"Right, Piz." He swallowed before continuing, "I just got this feeling that something wasn't right, so I followed you."

"All the way to the Clark Corporation?" She was surprised with his persistence.

"I was gonna back off as soon as that feeling went away. But you drove straight to the dark side of town. How could I leave you then?"

"I don't understand, if you were following me, why did you wait so long to come in and help? Why didn't you call the police?"

"I did call the police. They wouldn't listen. Suspicious behavior of a former girlfriend didn't hold enough weight to get a patrol car out there. So I called your dad instead."

Veronica frowned as she guessed at the next part. "But he didn't answer, because he was driving back from the bank with the ransom money."

"I lost sight of you after you got out of your car. Why did you park two buildings away from where you were going?"

"I didn't want him to see me coming. I figured it was a lie, some ploy to get me there and trap me, so I wanted to give myself a head's up on what was really going on."

"Veronica-"

"I know it wasn't the best idea. But at least give me _some _credit. I never intended to go in. I had my camera. I was gonna find a good spot, hidden of course, zoom in and find out what was going on."

The sound of the door handle moving interrupted their conversation and Logan stared questioningly at Veronica. She motioned for him to hide underneath the bed.

Once the nurse had the door open, Veronica called to her before she could hit the lights. "Oh, wait. Do you mind leaving them off? It's really soothing like that and the headache's fast become a distant memory."

The nurse smiled and compromised by switching them to dim. "Here, this will help you feel better! It'll all be over in just a minute."

"Can you stay over there?" Veronica asked, cringing inside at how obvious she was sure she sounded. "Here, I'll move my arm."

The nurse looked at her questioningly before Veronica continued, "Over in just a minute, right?"

Since the angle she was offering was acceptable, the nurse let her suspicions leave her and she finished her work quickly as though nothing had happened.

She made sure to turn the lights off again on her way out. "Keep resting, Veronica. At this rate, you'll be out of here in no time."

"Great!" Veronica said with a smile, holding her stare until the door closed.

"You have to get out of here and back to your room," Veronica said as Logan came back into view.

"I just wanted to spend some time with you," Logan told her.

Veronica thought for a minute before she decided. "Listen, it looks like you're gonna get out of here before me, or if I'm lucky, we'll leave at the same time. So why don't you focus on finishing your stay here and then you can be my ride home when I sign out."

She could tell he was liking the idea, so before he could refuse, she decided to appeal to his interests, "And then we can go to the beach together."

"It's cold out right now," he reminded her.

"It's not that chilly. I'll wear a coat," she promised. "But no surfing this time. You'll still need some time before your body's ready for that. And a simple walk sounds really nice to me right now. A little mild activity after… everything."

"Okay," Logan accepted, moving to kiss her on top of the head.

"See you soon," she told him with a smile.

He nodded as he backed away. "See you soon," he returned before offering her one final smile and a playful wave on his way out the door.

* * *

Veronica blinked her eyes open to find a pleasant sight waiting for her. She smiled warmly before greeting him softly, "Hi." 

"How you feeling?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment before answering, "Like I got stabbed in the leg." The look in his eyes told her he wasn't quite as much in the joking mood as she was. "How's my neck looking? I was planning on making out with a hot guy later, but it'll do me no good if this big ugly bruise takes away from the hickie."

"Things a father should never hear," he commented before smiling and answering seriously, "You've healed up just fine. The doctor says you can go home tomorrow."

The news brought an even bigger smile to her face.

"As long as you promise not to make out with anyone for a few days." After a quick pause, he amended, "Years."

"Are you sure that's on the clipboard?" Veronica teased him. "Isn't that sort of thing doctor-patient confidentiality?"

Her father sighed before kissing the top of her head. "I'm gonna go grocery shopping so we can have a real meal tomorrow night."

Veronica opened her mouth to say something, but he quickly added, "You're free to see your boyfriend immediately after dinner. But from 5 to 6 you're all mine."

She grinned at him before accepting, "Okay, Dad."

He stood up and grabbed his coat, about to leave before Veronica stopped him. "Hey, Dad?"

He quickly turned toward her, "Yes, Veronica?"

"Will mom be there?"

He looked down once before answering. "Your mother didn't say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Veronica asked, the smile fading from her face.

"She checked herself into a center right after her visit with you. The program is 6 months."

"6 months?!" Veronica repeated in disbelief.

"It's in Texas, a brand new, highly recommended place. New ideas and methods. I don't know too much about it."

"Do you think it's gonna help her?"

He shrugged. "It can't hurt."

Veronica nodded and took a moment of silence as she took in what it meant before looking up to say goodbye. "See you tomorrow."

"I'll pick you up at 11. Right after you're done with the doctor."

"Actually, I was thinking I'd get a ride with someone else." Before he could argue, she insisted, "I promise, I'm all yours at 5!"

Keith took a moment to consider it before nodding in acceptance. "Okay. See ya, then." He paused before saying, "Get some rest in the meantime. You look like you were just stabbed in the leg."

Veronica laughed slightly and shook her head as the door closed behind him.

* * *

Veronica grabbed the last of the small personal items she'd had her father bring during her stay at the hospital. She felt amazing! She was back to her full health, minus the stitching in her leg, and it felt really good to be out of a hospital gown. That and she couldn't help being excited about seeing Logan out of _his_. She'd been so terrified the last time she'd unexpectedly seen him and she was determined to spend a relaxing, fun evening together. They deserved that much. 

As scary as the ordeal had been, it reminded her of the closeness they shared. She didn't want to push him away anymore. She knew it was high time she matured beyond her fears of falling in love. Logan proved time and again that he was the guy for her.

The one good thing about that frightening day – the moment that seemed like an eternity when she thought Logan had just been killed right in front of her. It hit her then how much he meant to her and she knew now with absolute certainty that she didn't want to lose that, even if it was hard sometimes.

She was glowing as the door opened but her smile faltered for a moment at the sight that greeted her.

"Your chariot awaits," he said before laughing slightly. "Or the front seat of my car. But if you close your eyes and use your imagination-"

"Hey, Piz," she interrupted him.

He approached her and gave her a tender hug. "You gave me a hell of a scare," he said softly into her hair before moving back from her so he could see her face. "I am so glad you're okay." He smiled warmly before releasing her and reaching for her bag. "And you're getting out today, just in time for summer! I know you'll have to take a couple finals, but you have got to come onto my show soon. I have this amazing lineup planned for next week. Oh, did I tell you? I got a job-"

"Piz, you _do_ know that I'm still going to take the internship, right?"

He couldn't have made his answer clearer with his next facial expression. "Oh," he said softly, "yeah, well. I thought you might rest a little bit before…"

"I've had a week and a half of rest. I just want to take my finals and have the summer I was supposed to have."

"Right," he tried to encourage her and conceal his hurt. "That sounds like a great idea. I'm really glad for you. Not that this happened, of course. But, you know, that you can still… do what you want."

Veronica knew she was hurting him, but she hadn't hidden anything from him. He'd known about the internship just as long as she had. "I'm so glad you're here," she said finally and gave him a hug. Afterwards, she reached out to take back her bag, "But I'm kinda getting a ride with someone else."

"Oh," he replied, "well, that's cool. Yeah, I just kind of assumed… but you probably want to spend time with your dad, I guess."

Veronica bit her lip once before continuing, "Actually, it's Logan." She forced herself to look him in the eye as she explained, "We went through a lot together and-"

"You don't have to explain," he stopped her. "I understand. I'll… I'll call you tomorrow. Or, are you leaving tomorrow?"

"I'm not leaving tomorrow," she reassured him softly. "I have to take my exams."

"Okay. Then I'll call you tomorrow."

"Great!" she said with a smile.

"Okay. Well, have a safe trip!" He nodded once before turning to the door. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

* * *

"I can't believe you made me come back to this place," Logan teased her as he held the door for her. 

"Hey now, you've gotten a full 24 hours more of the outside world than I have. A 5 minute trip to the waiting room can't have been that traumatizing."

"I've had worse," he conceded.

"So what'd you do while I was still stuck? Play some video games? Pick up some hot chicks?"

Logan only chuckled at her typical curious nature.

"Or maybe you studied? I guess we're not excused from our finals. See how amazing I am? I got you an extra 2 weeks preparation time."

"Yeah, you're somethin' else," he replied.

* * *

"Do you wanna come inside?" Veronica asked him as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "For dinner, I mean. I'm sure dad wouldn't mind feeding the guy who saved my life." 

"Is that gonna be my new title?" he asked. "Cuz I was thinking something more like the Kung-Fu Master."

"Kung-Fu?" Veronica said with a laugh.

"You saw me in action," he defended himself.

"In that case, Bone-Crusher would be more appropriate."

"But that doesn't sound nearly as endearing or skilled."

"I guess in this instance, actions will have to speak _louder _than words."

He laughed to himself at the comment and was only a step behind her as they walked to the door.

* * *

"I'm proud of you," Logan told her later that day. They were walking along the shoreline, just as Veronica had promised, hand in hand and enjoying the breeze. 

"Proud of me? Okay, dad," she teased him before punching him lightly on the shoulder with her free hand.

"You spent an entire meal with your father and you didn't bug him about the case, not even once."

"I've already figured it out," Veronica told him honestly. "And it's done. He can't hurt anyone anymore." She ended looking down at the sand, which led her to stare at the bandage still wrapping her leg.

Logan nodded before deciding to change the subject. "So you asked me what I spent my day doing."

"That's right," Veronica replied. "Ready to spill?"

"It turns out, I got an important letter while I was recovering."

"Oooh!" Veronica commented with inflated interest and encouraged him to continue.

"I got accepted to film school," he told her.

The news was truly a shock for her. She hadn't even known that he'd applied. She brushed off the initial feeling of hurt that he wouldn't confide something like this in her when she reminded herself that he still didn't know about her FBI internship. "Wow," she replied, "that's fantastic, Logan. Are you gonna go?"

"I don't know," he answered, pulling his hand out of hers and running it through his hair. "Yeah."

Veronica nodded in silence, taking it all in. "Then I guess we'd better make the most of next week," she told him.

He turned to face her with a small confused frown. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't get the chance to tell you. I guess I was putting off telling you… I got accepted to the FBI. It's an internship. It actually starts tomorrow, but since I still have finals, I'm not going until next week."

Logan let out a sigh as he digested what all the news meant. He was down to his last few days with Veronica for probably a long time. But this was what she'd always wanted. "That's great, Veronica. You're gonna be amazing."

"So are you," she told him with a grin.

They walked along in silence for a bit, enjoying the quiet moment while they could as both knew their lives were about to take on a great change very soon.

Veronica broke the silence this time. "So, you never told me you were interested in going to film school. When did you decide that?"

Logan shrugged. "I don't know, it just came to me and I thought, why not. I thought it was just a phase and that I wouldn't get accepted anyway."

"So, how are things? Other than that, I mean. How've you been? I know I've been a little distracted lately, and I haven't been tailing you to figure it out." _More like _distant _and _avoidant, _Veronica, _she scolded herself inwardly

"You know, there's an invention I've been meaning to introduce you to. They made this thing called a phone where you push these little buttons and-"

"Okay, okay! I know, I could've called." The silence that followed might have been awkward for another pair, but it was like Logan knew her unspoken words already. So they walked in comfortable silence for a moment.

"We should drive to that new theme park they built," Logan said suddenly.

"What, right now?"

"Tomorrow," Logan decided, clearly right then.

Veronica thought for a moment before answering, "How about the next day? I have to do something with someone tomorrow."

"Always a cloud of mystery…" Logan commented, teasing although it made Veronica feel more guilty that she'd been shutting him out for so long.

"I have to see Piz," she told him honestly.

Logan tensed a bit before looking away and mumbling, "Right, the boyfriend."

Veronica put a hand on his shoulder and he turned into her. She stared into his eyes for a moment, studying them as she built up the courage to say it. _It's now or never, Veronica!_ "I'm going to break up with him," she told him sincerely.

Logan's eyes widened but he didn't open his mouth and instead studied her silently. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting to hear that.

"I haven't been honest with you, Logan. Or myself." She paused once to collect herself and then put her arms around him. She could feel his body initially tense but then fall comfortably into hers. "There's still something there, between me and you. I feel like there always will be…" After a pause, she finished. "And I don't wanna lose what we have."

His stare wavered a little and he looked away and then back at her. "Veronica…" he trailed hesitantly.

"Actions speak louder than words," she reminded him in a whisper before moving her lips toward his.

He kissed her back and for a moment, the rest of the world disappeared and all she could sense was the familiar taste of his tongue.

But something wasn't right. She could feel his hesitation return and before she knew it, he'd pulled away from the kiss. She felt his true feelings in his kiss, but for some reason, he was still pushing her away. _Why?_

He put his hands on her shoulders and massaged her briefly before he'd decided upon what to say. "Veronica, I can't do this, I'm sorry." When he saw the unshielded hurt and confused look in her eyes, he realized he couldn't stare at her directly, otherwise he might never say what needed to be said. "I love you, Veronica. But it isn't enough."

Veronica tried to keep from crying. She'd managed the first time he'd done this to her face to face, but this time, after everything they'd been through, she wasn't so sure that she could hold herself together.

"You should stay with Piz. He cares about you." After a pause, he added, "And you trust him."

Veronica felt herself coming closer to tears, but she still forced herself to face what was happening and speak her own mind, "Is that what this is about? Trust? Of course I trust you, Logan!"

When he didn't answer right away, she realized how serious he was. Inside, she was struggling between anger that he wouldn't take her word for it and guilt that maybe there was a grain of truth to his words. She knew she hadn't given him much reason to believe that she trusted him lately, but that didn't change the fact that she was in front of him right now insisting she did. "Logan, I trust you."

"No, you don't!" Logan insisted, losing some of his cool. He swallowed once to collect himself before continuing with what he wanted to say, "You only _think _you do. You trust me with your life. But not your heart."

Veronica couldn't hold it in any longer. She blinked a few times as tears started to fall and a hot feeling flushed her cheeks. "That's not true," she said quietly, her voice wavering.

"It _is _true," he went on. "When did you decide you still wanted this? Yesterday? A week ago? I've been carrying this around since the first time we broke up. There's no one else, Veronica. There probably never will be."

"Then _why _are you doing this?"

"Because you don't want to be with me, Veronica. You want, you want to fix me. But there's nothing to fix. I'm not that guy anymore, I've already told you."

"What are you talking about?" Veronica asked, her hurt slow caving to her confused anger. "When did I ever say that? Were you listening to what I was saying? I want to be with you, Logan. _You_, not Piz." She looked down once before returning his stare again. "I just wish it hadn't taken me a near death experience to see that.

"Veronica," he said softly, "this isn't going to work. I'm going to film school-"

"Is that it? You want to save yourself from any guilt and do whatever you want at film school?" Veronica asked angrily, letting her emotions do the talking for her.

The question took him off guard for a moment. "What? What do you mean?"

"So you can hook up with whoever you choose and there'll be no one to answer to," she finished angrily.

"No, don't be ridiculous-"

"_Don't _call me ridiculous."

"This is _exactly _what I'm talking about!" Logan blurted before trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to argue with her. He wanted her to see things the way he did. He knew it required a different approach since she wasn't going to just take his word for it. "Why do you trust Piz, Veronica?"

"What does he have to do with anything? I told you, I can't be with him. I don't feel that way anymore. Why do you keep bringing him up?"

"Listen, it's not about Piz, okay. It's about _you_. Why do _you _trust him?"

"You want me to dignify that with an answer? I mean, you _are _soon to be attending film school, but you at least spent one year studying real world problems and subjects."

"You're not even thinking about it. Please, if you can just tell me that, then…"

"Then, what?" Veronica demanded.

"Then maybe you'll see why I feel the way I do. Or maybe I'll have to rethink things."

Veronica tried to let go of her frustration and answer him, as pointless as she thought it was. "I can just tell… He's never given me any reason not to… I don't know what else you want me to say, anyone with eyes can see he's a decent guy."

"Okay," Logan said with a pause. "That wasn't the answer I was expecting."

"And why am I not surprised to hear that?" Veronica asked sarcastically. "So did I pass the test? Or do you have a follow up?"

"Well, I think it's because he doesn't know you."

"Gee, that's a convincing alternative, but I think I'm still gonna have to stick with my original answer. That and I'd like to think I know how I feel just a little bit better than you do."

"Veronica, I mean he doesn't know your secrets, your past. I love you and I want you to be happy. I just hope that someday, you'll let _somebody _in."

_What does he think I'm doing right now? _Veronica tried to calm herself and think rationally about what he was saying. "And you're telling me that person can't be you," she paraphrased.

"Veronica-"

"It's okay. I get it." _I've hurt you too much for you to ever put yourself in that position again_, she thought bitterly.

Veronica took a moment to brush away her tears and then finished, "Please take me home."

* * *

"I'm gonna miss you this summer," Logan told her once they'd gotten to her house. "I thought we could have some fun." After he realized how that sounded, he added, "as friends." When Veronica didn't say anything, he rubbed her back gently and asked, "We're still friends, aren't we? You know I'd do anything for you." 

_Oh, yeah, Logan. Anything but _date _me. _But Veronica put on a smile and said, "Of course."

"Good," Logan said, sounding truly relieved. "Want me to walk you to the door all gentleman-like?" he offered with a smile.

"There won't be a kiss waiting for you. But suit yourself."

When they were both standing on the porch, Logan told her, "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"You didn't," Veronica immediately dismissed his concern before she remembered it was Logan she was talking to and he already knew. "You did," she admitted less stubbornly. "But it's okay. Really, I get it. Look at us!" she said with a smile. "We would never work."

Logan didn't agree to that but didn't argue either. "I know you're leaving soon, so if I don't have another moment alone with you…"

"You are so not getting into my pants right now," Veronica said jokingly.

"…I want to tell you to call me. If you ever need anything." A delayed smile came to his face as he realized what he'd just said to her. Talk about a broken record! "Call me whenever," he corrected himself.

"Sure," Veronica said. Then she motioned to the door," Well, I'm gonna go inside now. Unless you have something else you'd like to get off your chest before we never see each other again.."

"You're joking, right?

"You had to ask? Are you sure you know me so well?" Veronica teased while dodging.

Logan smiled at the comment. "Okay. Well, if you want to study together…"

"Call you?" Veronica guessed sarcastically. "If I can remember the number…"

"That's cold."

"Goodnight, Logan."

Instead of answering, he stood there for a moment, looking as though he was evaluating his decision that day. His stare faltered and she could tell he wasn't just looking at her form standing on the doorstep anymore; he was reliving the past in his mind.

"I told you I wasn't gonna give you a kiss, and if you don't leave now, I won't be held responsible for your health tomorrow morning after you've spent the night pining away on my cold porch."

He smiled once more before offering a final, "Goodnight, Veronica," and turning back toward his car.

* * *

Veronica shut the door behind her and took the moment to evaluate things herself. _Study session with Logan? I think I'll pass. _After what had just happened, she felt that what she really needed was as much space between herself and Logan as possible. Because although she'd told Logan it was all good and fine, she had gotten her hopes crushed of ending the night with a sweet, _epic _reunion. It was going to take a little more than a friendly car ride for her to be able to emotionally handle being near him again just as friends. Those 10 minutes in his car had seemed like an eternity as he'd tried to make casual conversation while she'd tried desperately to appear as though everything was fine. 

"You can come out of hiding now," Veronica told her father. "Besides, he's gone, didn't you see?"

Her father flipped on the light so that she could see him sitting casually on the sofa by the window. "You looked like you could use a moment alone. Something happen? I don't mean to pry-"

"Sure…" Veronica joked.

"But I didn't see a goodnight kiss. Or have you kids gotten sneakier since the last time a boy dropped you off at your door."

Veronica laughed before replying, "No, still just as much sneak as ever; no more, no less." After a pause, she continued more seriously, "Logan and I are just friends. Despite whatever you think you saw at dinner."

"Well, I was a little surprised that _he _was the boy you brought home, but then again, I was surprised that he was the one who found you. Is there something going on with the two of you?"

"You mean besides recovering from a traumatic experience?" she remarked. "No, nothing more. I just thought we deserved some time together without a psycho trying to kill us."

"I'm sorry, dear. You know I'm just worried about you. I have to be, since some whacked-out twist of fate decided I should be your father."

"I know, it's fine Dad," she told him. "I'm fine," she added before giving him a hug.

--------**END FLASHBACK**

* * *

**a/n:** thoughts please! and sorry that I don't know when the update will be. I'm battling being sick and having exams and papers, but I will try not to make it a long wait 


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